Masayume
by OPrincess ShinigamiO
Summary: [REVISED] Six years ago, Hinata left Sasuke for the purpose of saving his life, not knowing that she brought along something that also belonged to him. But when fate decides to lead them together again, something Hinata feared of happening, Sasuke will have to take responsibility of their now six-year-old child. Only, how can he do that when he doesn't even remember who she is?
1. Prologue

**OPrincess ShinigamiO** here! Alright, for those who've noticed, you might be wondering why I deleted the first version and remade it into this one. When I first started writing the deleted version, I'd always thought that something wasn't right. I didn't get feels from my writing, and details and facts didn't really click. When I tried creating the third chapter, I just lost interest and things fell apart (also for the fact that I suck at writing novel-length stories due to recurring devotional issues). But after awhile, I realized that this story needed to get out and have its chance again, only with a writing style that's more, well, me and less trying-hard. I just wasn't great with writing deep, detailed stuff, so why bother? Right now, I've changed a few things and some outcomes in the story draft, hopefully for a better outcome. :)

For all those newcomers who _don't_ know, this story is inspired and based on the hit Taiwanese drama "Autumn's Concerto" (First Stop, Happiness), one of my all-time favorite dramas. If you'd rather not spoil yourselves, then don't check it out. If you already watched this, well, expect some changes here and there, especially since this _is_ going to happen in the Narutoverse and the main protagonists are SasuHina. ;D

For those who used to review, favorite, and follow "Masayume", I apologize for scrapping the first version and please continue to support me! You guys are my energy boosters and one of the reasons why I continued on! :D So to all old and newcomers alike, please enjoy and follow my fanfic! Hopefully leave some reviews and favorites too (*cough*energy boosters*cough* XD)!

_*Masayume= a dream that comes true_

* * *

_Masayume_

_..._

_Prologue_

_..._

"_If ever I come out of this alive-"_

"_You will, Sasuke-kun. You will."_

"_- I want you to be the first person I see. And I mean it."_

"_Sasuke-kun…"_

"_Promise me. Swear to me that you'll be here. Or I might very well decide to go see Itachi earlier than expected."_

"… _I promise. I will be here when you wake up."_

_He smiled in relief, something that broke her heart even more. Not because of the promise, but because his face held some sort of finality. As if he was prepared to say goodbye._

_Of course every dying patient should expect the unexpected, especially death. But she held on to that loose hope, to the very miniscule chance that he'll survive._

_Even if it meant that he'll never see her again._

_As she felt the healers tell her to leave and pull her away, she held on tighter, his weak but firm hand doing the same. The fear was coming back. Whatever hope she had began to shatter all over again._

_Her vision began to blur, her tears quickened their pace. Her lavender-white eyes locked onto his onyx ones, never letting go even after their hands began to slip away._

_As she finally lost touch of his fingers, he took a long deep breath and smiled, and after mouthing a "Thank you" to her, with his fingers touching the black pendant hanging around his neck, he finally closed his eyes._

_The doors slammed onto her face. She pounded onto the closed doors, weakly leaning her forehead and whispering his name repeatedly like a prayer. Nobody who witnessed came to comfort her. They could only just stand by and watch with sorrow._

_Exhausted, she slowly slid onto the ground, sobbing and praying to God that He would have mercy on him and give him a second chance in life._

_A pink-haired girl approached her, dressed in surgeon's garb. Gently, she placed a hand on the pitiful girl, her bright emerald eyes shining in worry and sheer determination._

"_Please don't worry, Hinata. I'll make sure that Sasuke will get out of this alive. I promise, I'll do whatever I can to save him. Please have faith in us. And in Sasuke. He's a pretty stubborn guy. I'm sure he'll do his best to come back to you too." She said in a soft, comforting tone._

_Something tiny ignited in her, as if hope was replanted back into her heart. Maybe it was because the very person comforting her had the same feelings she had for him. Maybe it was that steely look in her eyes that promised to rip out the whole earth's core if it meant that she could take away the poison that's killing him. Maybe it's because even though she loved him very dearly, she never lost her stature even when the pressure's greatly on her._

_Determined, she nodded and slowly stood up. She gave the pink-haired surgeon a shaky smile._

"_Thank you, Sakura-san. P-please take care of him." She said, hoping that the others wouldn't be able to catch her last statement as another interpretation._

_The surgeon gave a hopeful smile in return and fixed herself in a professional manner, pulling her mask to conceal her face, before pushing through the door of the emergency room._

_A few seconds of staring at the door, she felt someone gently pull her away. She turned and focused on a pair of lavender-white eyes, very much similar to hers but lighter in a way._

"_Neji-nii?"_

"_He will come back, Hinata-sama." He whispered, his lips forming into a thin line, his eyebrows dipping into a hard frown. She smiled at him, silently thanking him for his concern._

"_Yes. Yes he will."_

'_But not to me.' she thought to herself as she began to walk away from the doors, and from him, forever._

…

She stood by the gates that night, her tear-streaked face concealed by a painted cat mask. She hadn't said her goodbyes to her Father, to her sister, her teammates and sensei nor anybody else that she knew. But she didn't regret her decision. This was for the best for him, and for her.

Fingering the place where her white pendant lay under her dark clothing, her lavender-white eyes turned onto the sky, watching the full moon guard the man she loved on the other side of the village. No once knew whether the treatment's going smoothly or not. Naruto mentioned that not once had anyone left the emergency room after hours and hours.

Her heart fell as she thought of the ultimate possibility, the most likely in this case. She was slightly grateful for the fact that she wouldn't be here if the bad news ever came out.

Sensing a certain chakra landing behind her, she turned and spotted a tall man in the darkness, his face concealed by a painted bird mask, his long hair tied into a ponytail on the nape of his neck. On his back were all the items they needed for the travel.

"For the last time, Hinata-sama, are you certain about this?"

"Yes, Neji-nii. I'm sure. This was the deal, and I have no intention of dishonoring it." She replied in a hard tone, an act her cousin thought was perfectly appropriate for their clan's future successor. Well, former successor.

Even behind the painted mask, she could tell that his face was contorted into an expression of uncertainty.

"When Tenten and Lee came by with the news that nothing's changed yet, you suddenly rushed in the nearest restroom, and Hanabi informed me in her words that you hurled your dinner "like unicorns vomiting rainbows", whatever that means, of which had been repeated a second time when a servant served you a second set of dinner. Are you absolutely sure you're alright?"

Behind the cat mask, she smiled gently at her cousin, placing a gloved hand on his strong, broad shoulder. "If this is your way of stopping me, then it's not working. I stand by my decision. It was just a minor setback, Neji-nii, but thank you. Now, I believe that we should get going. The guards might return and suspect something anytime soon."

She took her own package from his hold and turned towards the forest.

"Now it's my turn. Last chance, Neji-nii. Are you sure you're coming or not? I know that you have loved ones here who need you. Father would definitely need you at this time." She said, turning her head sidewards in question.

The bird mask shook its head. "I have a duty to protect you. Regardless of our clan, I'm still your cousin and sworn protector. They will understand in time." He paused, turning his head towards the silent village, whispering "She will understand." under his breath, something his cousin didn't fail to catch.

It made her hesitate for a while, but they didn't have the luxury to doubt any longer. She could sense the guards coming their way. It was best that they quickly get a move on before anyone realizes of their escapade.

"Then let's go."

To that, the masked pair soared into the night.

...

_Two weeks later, a pair of onyx eyes opened to bright, glassy emerald ones._

_..._

_And eight months later, a tiny pair of dark and light gray eyes opened for the first time._

_..._

* * *

Thanks for reading! :D Please look forward for the next chapters!


	2. 1st Stop: The Calm Before The Storm Pt1

**OPrincess ShinigamiO** here!

Phew! This chapter's probably the longest thing I've ever written for a fanfiction! Although there's barely any SasuHina fluff in this chapter, there's Hinata acting like a kind mother like she is, and of course, Sasuke and her child, sharing adorable family fluff to make up for the lacking SasuHina fluff, so that's bound to be interesting! There'll be some slightly intense action scenes taking over more than half the chapter (hopefully I've done it well for a first action-focused writing). It's nearly 3 AM here, but I just had to finish this...

But before all that, I'd like to post some trivia for this fic:

1. As you all can conclude in the Prologue, Neji is still alive in this story. The fanfic tries to follow the major canon happenings as much as possible, but I have a need for Neji in this fic, as he has a very important supporting role to both Hinata and her family. Let's just say that Neji managed to dodge those wooden stick things (the scene of which _SHOULD'VE HAPPENED_ :()

2. Before the Prologue, this story takes place roughly three years after the end of the Fourth Ninja War. Hinata is eighteen but will be turning nineteen pretty soon, and Sasuke is, I believe, already nineteen.

3. Yes, Team Taka will be involved in this story. In fact, in this chapter you'll be able to find out what happened to them during the last three years.

Anyway, I'd also like to thank all those people who took the time to review, favorite, and follow Masayume! I'm so glad that this version came out more appealing than the last one, and I hope that this fic will continue to hold your interests and maybe exceed your expectations. ;) Any mistakes, wrong grammars, or unnoticed plotholes, please tell me what you think! Any OOCs are unintentional, and that goes to the whole fic!

**joicee:** Glad to know that someone also loves Autumn's Concerto to death! XD Hopefully, this fic will also make you laugh and cry and fangirl like crazy!

**BlindAdmirer:** It's fine that you haven't read the first version of this story. It kinda sucked, so I'd rather forget it ever happened. :P Haha, I did give an explicit hint last chapter that there's going to be some SasuSaku tension going on, so please look forward to that! :D

Thank you all for your reviews! Just remember, you all are my ENERGY BOOSTERS! Review, follow and favorite and I might just update a little faster rather than just once a week! Now let's get on with the story and please enjoy it! ;)

* * *

_Masayume_

…

_1__st__ Stop (6 years later)_

…

_The Calm Before The Storm Pt.1_

…

"_Mama!"_

"_Hinata! You're a mess! Did you fall into a puddle again?"_

_The little girl with short midnight blue hair sobbed loudly, wiping her mud-stained arm roughly on her teary, snot-filled face. Her mother waddled towards her, her middle section bulging with new life within. She reached inside her kimono's right pocket and took out a periwinkle hanky, slowly kneeling down and gently wiping her daughter's muddied face._

"_Oh, honey. Look at your pretty face. It's all covered in mud and grass. What on earth have you been up to, dear?" _

_Slowly, the little girl held out her other arm, revealing a pair of crushed dandelions in her tiny hand. The mother raised a slender dark eyebrow, her bright amethyst eyes glinting in question though half-expecting the answer._

"_Why, they're the dandelions from my garden! Hina, honey, did you pick these for Mama?" she asked._

_The little girl sniffled and responded by lifting the crushed flowers to her mother, suddenly pulling it back in shame and tearing up again after seeing her clumsiness's disappointing results. "I-I-I w-want t-to show M-Mama's p-pretty f-flowers. B-b-but th-they're u-ugly now, b-b-because of m-me…" She began sobbing and threw the flowers on the ground, looking away in fear of her mother's scolding._

_Instead, the older woman's lips spread into a kind smile, her one hand subconsciously rubbing her swollen tummy. She reached out and gently took the crushed flowers from the ground, lifting them under her nose and taking in their subtle green scent. "Oh, Hinata. Honey, I love them. Very very much." She said with a grin, much to her daughter's confusion._

"_M-Ma-Mama's n-not mad?..."_

_Her mother threw her head back in laughter before taking her daughter's tiny hands into her own. "Of course not, honey. In fact, Mama's very happy with you. Although I'm a little sad that you got dirty, I know that you were only very excited to show Mama her flowers. Besides," she gave a wink, "I think they're the best presents I've ever received, even better than the boring roses your Father gives me every week."_

_Slowly, the little girl's tears began to subside. Her tiny pink lips began mirroring her mother's smile._

"_I-It's beca-cause I l-love M-Mama!" she exclaimed proudly, before forming a pout. "B-but F-Father loves Mama too! And h-his r-roses are colorful and p-pink a-and-"_

"_I know I know, dear." Her mother laughed. "They're very pretty too. It's just that I've received dozens of them already, and I've already had enough roses in the house."_

"_Oh."_

_The pregnant woman began twisting the dandelions. "Do you know the meaning of dandelions, Hinata?" The little girl shook her head. Her big lavender-white eyes widened in pure interest._

"_Dandelions mean that you want your loved one to be happy forever. When you grow older, when you find the person you're sure that you want to spend the rest of your life with, then the dandelion's your flower. And because of that, I know that you picked these flowers thinking of me."_

_The little girl beamed at her mother, reaching out to take hold of her hand._

"_H-Hinata loves Mama very much!"_

…

"Hina-Mama!"

Her grip on the hose slipped from her gloved fingers, splashing into the puddle beneath the bright yellow dandelions. She turned around and found her daughter running towards her, tears spilling down her chubby face. Her tiny fists were bruised black and blue, and on each hand was a chopped piece of a tiny wooden sword.

"Yume? What's wrong, honey?" she asked in panic as she kneeled down and brought the crying child into her arms.

"H-H-Haru d-destroyed Y-Yume's new s-sword!" she sobbed. "H-he s-said it was u-ugly and o-old and th-that real n-ninjas d-don't need swords!" she wailed even louder and buried her snot-filled face on her mother's shoulder.

Hinata rubbed circles onto her daughter's back to soothe her, whispering "it's okay" repeatedly until she finally calmed into sniffles. The older Hyuuga smiled gently as she watched her daughter wipe her nose with an arm.

"Now now, Yume dear. I'm sure Haru-kun didn't mean any harm. Maybe it was just a misunderstanding and I'm sure that he didn't mean to break your toy-"

"No it wasn't! I'm s-sure of it! Kiki saw it too!"

"-but Haru-kun is only a little boy, Yume. He still has a lot of new things to learn, and even so, that doesn't mean that you have to hit him back. Fighting each other would only make things worse. Now I want you to apologize to him tomorrow in school, okay?"

"B-but h-he started it!" Yume huffed, crossing her arms together and pouting stubbornly. Hinata rested her palms on her hips, her eyes hardening in silent warning. "Masayume Hyuuga."

Sighing in defeat, the little girl nodded slowly, clutching her broken sword protectively on her chest. "Yes, Hina-Mama."

The young mother sighed, gathering her daughter back into her arms and carrying her back into their tiny home.

"I'm sorry, Yume. I don't like getting angry, you know that. But I'm only scolding you because Hina-Mama loves you very much and wants you to take better care of yourself."

The dark-haired child sniffed, staring longingly at the broken toy sword in her hands. "B-but Uncle Neji gave this to me last year. A-and you said that Papa loves fighting with a s-sword."

"And I'm sure that if he were here, your father wouldn't want to see you get hurt just because someone destroyed your toy." She said as she placed her daughter down on the counter and took off her garden gloves, earning another disappointed pout from her daughter.

"_Actually, knowing him, Sasuke-kun would most probably tell you to fight back. Not that Yume has to know anyway."_ Hinata thought inwardly as she washed her hands, smiling at the thought of the Uchiha acting like an overprotective father. Her smile dropped into a sad frown at the thought of what could have been. _"He probably would be, but not towards our child."_

A year after Yume was born, Neji happened to overhear from a conversation between two passing Leaf ninjas in the market place that Sasuke was able to recover from the procedure and that Tsunade had finally allowed him to take missions again.

Of course, the former heiress was incredibly relieved to hear the good news. Unfortunately, it seems like the last Uchiha had gotten over her disappearance and moved on, since word came out that he's been seeing someone new. Neji wasn't able to hear who, since there was no way he could ask them himself in fear of being recognized, but that fact alone led Hinata to believe that it was best not to return to the village in order to inform Sasuke about his child.

There was no point to it anyway, especially since the Hyuugas would be downright furious about it. Not to mention, extremely dangerous for Yume.

Yume wasn't just any ordinary child. She was born out of love between an Uchiha and a Hyuuga, a feat that was and is unheard of in the history of ninja. That fact alone made Yume a very tempting target for criminals, and a very dangerous time bomb for the Hyuuga clan.

But that wasn't the end of it. Because of her strong bloodlines, Yume had inherited the eyes of both an Uchiha and a Hyuuga.

One black like her father's, one white like her mother's.

Fearing for her daughter's life, the young Hyuuga mother and her cousin decided to hide in a tiny village somewhere in the Land of Honey, a small country that ninjas are rarely assigned to due to its already peaceful nature and safe provincial environment, where she could let her daughter live in peace and grow among loving and caring people who don't let ninjutsu take over their lives. This way, it could prevent almost any sort of possibilities of Yume awakening a Sharingan.

"Tell me about Papa, Hina-Mama!" Yume grinned as she wiped a finger on her nose, swinging herself back and forth on the kitchen counter that reminded her mother so much of her orange-clad first love. Hinata's eyebrows rose at her daughter's curiosity.

"What do you want to know about your father?" she asked as she took out a kettle and opened the sink to pour water in it.

"Tell me again about how you met daddy!" the little girl exclaimed in excitement.

"Again?"

"Yes! Yume wants to hear again about Papa saving Hina-Mama and hiding in a cave together!"

For some strange reason, the phrase didn't really sound right to the young mother. But Yume was just a young child. She wouldn't understand.

After she settled the full kettle on the stove and lit up the gas, Hinata gently smiled as she leaned on the dinner table across her daughter and recounted her first memories of the Uchiha.

"Let's see. It all started when your Uncle Kiba and Uncle Shino and I went to the Hidden Mist Village…"

…

_7 years earlier_

…

"Now this just sucks! And I mean big time!" Kiba grumbled before letting out another bout of sneezes. Akamaru, his giant white dog companion, whimpered in worry for his master.

"Why? Because you stubbornly refused to take a break from acting as look-out guard and then refused to bring a thick coat along while traveling and now you've earned a cold from the freezing weather?" Shino muttered in his usual no fussed tone. "You should've known better than to take on the Mist's winter season."

"Shut up, Shino. I meant about us missing Christmas just because of a bunch of dumb thieves hiding in the Mist. And I was so damned looking forward to spending those limited-only all-you-can-eat coupons at the Barbe-Q."

"H-here, Kiba-kun. Some medicine for your colds." The young Hyuuga heiress handed her teammate a tiny box of cold pills from her backpack.

"Thanks, Hinata. You're a lifesa-sa-… AH-CHOO!" Kiba sneezed loudly as Hinata and Akamaru backed away slightly.

Much to all their disappointment, a group of witty outcasts from the Mist decided to use their favorite pastime of the year, of all times, to kidnap a Fire Daimyou's daughter, in return of a ransom of several million ryos. As they were one of the best sensory teams available, Tsunade assigned the trio and a few trailing ANBUs to finish the job by sending them the cart of money to the rendezvous in exchange for the hostage.

Which brings us back to the present, wherein Kiba receives a cold from trying to impress the hidden ANBU (but failing miserably), he and Shino carrying the cart bagful of money, while Hinata uses her Byakugan to check any surprise ambushers. All on their way to the rendezvous in the mountains of one of Mist's many islands.

However, none of them expected to end up battling such a strong group of ninjas, all of them at least Chunin level.

"I do believe that someone forgot to write this little piece of information for us." Shino pointed out eight hours later as he dodged the barrage of explosive kunais targeting him, which exploded and created an empty crater behind him.

A few in the group turned out to be more than thirty of them. Hinata used the Eight Trigrams Palm Technique on a few thieves, effectively throwing them into the trees. Her activated eyes throbbed as she searched for the Daimyo's daughter.

"I found her!" she cried, relief seeping through her veins, "The ANBU found her! They're taking her back now."

"Great. Now how about a hand here with these guys?!" Kiba shouted, blocking an opponent with a kunai while Akamaru bit his shoulder and threw him off a cliff, the thief's screams echoing through the mountains.

"The hostage takes priority. They'll have to go ahead without us to ensure her safety." Shino said, blasting a few ninjas with his parasites until their screaming bodies were completely consumed.

The apparent leader of the group, an infamous criminal from the Mist named Sato, known for his poisoning expertise, began shouting at his men to retreat with the money. "Take them! Disperse and meet at our new hiding place! You there! Yes, you men! Go carry the money!"

"Yessir!" His cronies dispersed, some of them taking the money cart and some attempting to escape.

"Oh no you're not! Not after you made us go a long way here just to miss our Christmas festivities!" Kiba growled. "Let's get them, Akamaru! Gatsuga!" The canine duo leaped and rotated ferociously towards the closest enemies in their proximity, drilling them unconscious on the ground. Shino lifted his arms, and out came thousands of insects. The insects then formed themselves into three insect clones of their master and attacked. One of them leaped and chased after the group with the Daimyou's money.

"Juho Soshuken!" Hinata clenched her fists and concentrated until twin bursts of blue lion-shaped chakra appeared on her hands. She then proceeded to punch the lights out of anyone who got in her way.

"You meddling kids have gone far enough. This is where you'll have your last stand." Sato smirked slyly. After taking out a scroll from his back pocket, he summoned a barrage of flower-shaped shuriken and threw them at the trio and Akamaru. As the tiny weapons stabbed the ground around them, blasts of transparent purple petals came out and dissolved into a pink haze of gas, trapping them effectively in one circle.

Hinata gasped as she noticed the strange dizzying scent and immediately covered her nose and mouth. "Shino-kun! Kiba-kun! They're poison! Try not to breathe!"

"Shit! Easier said than do-do-ACHOO!" Kiba cursed as he unintentionally breathed in a lungful of the pink smoke before giving a loud sneeze. "Especially with this stupid cold!"

"You're too late, little Hyuuga girl." Sato laughed sinisterly. "Now that the poison's out in the air, there's no way any of you kids can escape from it. And it's not just any poison too." He grinned gloatingly, patting the scrolls in his pocket. "This special jutsu of mine is especially attracted to sensory-type ninjas and would follow the nearest one until its target finally takes a whiff off it. Not only will it poison you, but it'll also make you hallucinate like a madman. Slowly… and then quickly until the poison sucks out all your chakra and rots your brain while killing you inside your nightmare. For a VERY long time." He emphasized drolly with a satisfied grin, cackling as Kiba dropped to the ground and gasped harshly while his sharp claw-like fingernails dug onto the ground, with Akamaru whimpering and falling unconscious beside him. Shino's bug clones began to dissipate, buzzing around in shambles.

"You'll never hold out before sunset. Well, at least, not until after we complete our escape."

"K-Kiba-kun!" Hinata mumbled frantically against her palms, staggering as she begun to feel the poison's slow effects. Suddenly, a humongous gale of black butterflies zipped past her, and then turned and charged towards her direction until they surrounded her completely in darkness. The Hyuuga closed her eyes tightly and concentrated.

"_N-no. It's a poison genjutsu! W-we have to get out of this spot! O-or else Kiba-kun and Akamaru will-"_ she thought to herself, fighting off the genjutsu through sheer willpower. _"Sh-Shino-kun! Wh-where-?"_

Another flash of black butterflies shrouded her vision, with the Hyuuga barely stopping herself from yelping. Soft, yet harsh voices began to whisper into her ears, as if they were the very air she breathes.

"_You're weak."_

"_You're a weirdo."_

"_You're less approachable than a rock."_

"_You don't deserve to be loved."_

"Byakugan!" she shouted, activating her clan's famous eye technique. But to her shock, the poison's effects did not subside, completely resistant to even the all-seeing Byakugan. Sato was a much better genjutsu user than given credit for. Again, the voices in the dark surrounded her every senses.

"_You'll never become worthy."_

"_You're Father will forever discriminate you."_

"_Naruto will never ever love you. He's just pretending to be nice because of your pitiful state. In truth, he actually hates you. No one will ever love you."_

"Kai!" she clapped her hands together, closing her eyes in concentration. But because of the genjutsu's effectiveness to its prey, the dispeller only allowed her a few seconds of resistance, her eyes blurrily spotting her poisoner turning around to escape with an evil grin on his face before a sudden blast of blue and white blinded her back to the nothingness.

"_You're better off dead."_

"_You don't deserve to live."_

"_Die."_

"_Die."_

"_DIE!"_

"NO! P-please! G-go away!" Hinata mumbled to herself, tears streaming down her face. "It's just a genjutsu. They're all unreal. They're just lies." She repeated in assurance of herself, for a second disconnecting herself a fraction from the genjutsu again, allowing her to hear several clanking noises from clashing weapons.

But a flash of light appeared. Out of the light formed two suspicious shadows. But as she looked closer, she gasped and scrambled away in horror as she realized that the two "shadows" were actually both her teammates' rotting skeletons, her eyes widening in a horrified shock. It took all of her power to stop herself from screaming.

"H-H-Hi-n-na-t-ta…" Kiba's skeleton slurred with a voice so old and choppy and uncharacteristically full of hatred. "W-w-why… d-d-didn't… y-you… s-save… m-m-me?... A-aren't… I-I-I… y-y-you're… f-friend?" Shino's skeleton didn't say anything, but its hollowed eyes, free from his shades and crawling with black skin-eating parasites chewing on whatever's left, looked even more frightening with its dark, unfriendly glare. A few more shadows appeared and surrounded her, and like the first two, transformed into rotting skeletons. First her father's and Kurenai's, then Neji's and Hanabi's, and lastly, Naruto's, his usual bright and sunny face soiled down to that of a screaming skull.

"N-no! NO! Na-Naruto-kun! K-Kiba-kun! Shino-k-kun! I-I-!" she dropped to the ground and closed herself from the horrifying sight, clutching her head in utmost fear as her burning hot tears flowed even faster, her mouth and throat feeling dry like a scorching hot desert and her long midnight-blue hair turning greasy with sweat. "P-p-please! Th-they're s-still alive! S-someone please! I-I-I-…"

"Kai!"

A woman's voice cut through her senses, as if Heaven suddenly revealed itself to sinners. Slowly, Hinata blinked through her wet lashes and was shocked to see that she could see her real surroundings again. All the voices, the skeletons of her loved ones. They all disappeared without a trace. On her back, she felt a warm hand seeping chakra through her, effectively overpowering any of the poisons left in her body.

Shakily turning to look behind her, the Hyuuga's teary eyes widened as she saw an impatient-looking woman, sporting uneven crimson hair and a pair of glasses, looking at her like she was a bother.

"Geez. Can't you Konoha ninjas do any better?" she said rhetorically, resting a hand on her hip after she finished transferring chakra. "It's no wonder Sasuke left the village. You're all a bunch of weaklings."

Hinata stared blankly at the rude kunoichi as the latter huffed and babbled more about unreliable ninjas not worthy for Sasuke's awesomeness. Not because of her bad opinions but more out of curiosity as to how she got here and why she decided to save her.

"A-ano…" the Hyuuga stuttered slowly. "Th-th-thank you…"

"Whatever." The redhead crossed her arms together, her eyes scrunching to slits at the strange Hyuuga girl. "So, you're a Hyuuga with a very unimpressive chakra signature. Almost too pure and calming like a river, but not much to show off. Such a shame…"

Hinata was pretty sure that was meant as an insult, but right now she didn't care. Her extremely reluctant savior somehow looked quite familiar to her although she couldn't exactly recall when she first saw her.

"Kiba-kun!" Hinata quickly scanned her surroundings and found her teammate and his dog still lying unconscious. But a giant, orange-haired man was kneeling behind them, laying a pair of scaly dark gray arms full of chakra on their backs, and somehow she knew right away that he wasn't an enemy. For a second, the giant's red-orange eyes calmly flicked up towards her before sliding back down to his rescues.

At a distance echoing in the forest, a clash of weapons mixed with bloodcurdling screams of pain and a burning smell of lighting gradually invaded Hinata's senses.

"Karin, you'd better let her bite you." The giant suggested. "They'll need the energy to get back from where they came from."

"Shut up, Juugo!" Karin screeched, roughly pushing up her glasses while her face turned as red as her hair in anger. "I don't need to take orders from you! And besides, why should we help these people when they have absolutely nothing to do with us?"

"Because they're from Konoha." Juugo replied calmly. "Do not forget that not only did that village pardon us and did everything they can in their power to free us from charges, it's also where Sasuke first came from."

"Yeah, after like, IMPRISONING US FOR TWO FREAKIN' YEARS!" Karin retorted furiously, flailing her arms in emphasis.

"Would you have preferred more than that then?"

"ARGH! You are such a goody-goody! It sickens me so much to the point that you're almost on par with Suigetsu!" Karin threw her arms up in exasperation.

The giant merely shrugged. "If you say so."

Still red-faced, she snapped her head towards Hinata, taking the yelping latter by surprise. The Hyuuga wondered whether insulting each other was their strange way of showing affection, as it appears that they haven't throttled each other to death yet.

"And you! Just because you have a pretty face and an annoyingly huge rack doesn't mean that you deserve some more saving! I've wasted enough chakra on you, which might I regress was already a pretty huge amount! I'm not letting anyone other than Sasuke suck chakra out of me, you got that?" Karin pointed at Hinata's chest, ignoring the nervous squeaks of the latter.

"O-oh, b-b-but what does S-Sasuke-kun have t-to do with-!" Hinata stuttered in shock, her eyes widening at the kunoichi's surprisingly short fuse. "-… I-I-I still have t-to find Shino-k-kun!"

"The one covered from head to toe with lots of bugs?" Juugo looked up. "He went after the group carrying a large cart. I believe he is involved in a battle as of now. Sasuke and Suigetsu went after the leader."

"_Oh, now I remember."_ Hinata thought to herself as she studied her two companions' faces. _"These two are part of Sasuke-kun's new team and were former subordinates of Orochimaru. I remember seeing them somewhere in the last Great Ninja War three years ago… That explains why she keeps mentioning Sasuke-kun's name. If only Naruto-kun and Sakura-san were here…"_

Hinata stood up in a snap, her head suddenly throbbing in pain at the sudden movement. "… I-I'll go check on him!"

"H-hey, waitasec!" Karin's red eyes widened as watched the Hyuuga's wobbly attempt to walk straight. "A-are you stupid?! You're not even strong enough to move normally, let alone fight!"

The Hyuuga rested an arm on a nearby tree, panting at the hard effort to increase her speed. Although her head was still in circles, she activated her Byakugan and checked her own vital organs. Her current chakra flow was unsteady and weak, although it was made considerably better after Karin transferred some of her chakra, but still not enough to survive a battle. The effects of Sato's poison were incredibly dangerous. It would take awhile to recover all the chakra he sapped out.

"B-but I c-can't leave him on his own…" Crestfallen, she slumped against the tree, wringing her hands together in disappointment at her own helplessness.

"Then I'll accompany you." Juugo said.

Both kunoichis snapped their heads towards the giant in disbelief.

"Oh, th-thank you!"

"You can't be serious!"

"Karin, take over here and transfer your chakra to these two." The orange-haired giant stopped his chakra-transferring and stood up. His scaly arms transformed back to normal human flesh.

"WHAT?! YOU'RE MAKING ME WASTE MY PRECIOUS CHAKRA ON THESE IDIOTS AGAIN?! DIDN'T YOU JUST HEAR ME EARLIER?!" Karin screeched, clutching her uneven hair in utter disbelief.

"You refused to help her. And with her current condition, there's no way I'm letting this woman handle things all by herself." Juugo walked steadily towards Hinata, giving her a reassuring smile. "Let's go find your friend."

"Th-thank you, um…"

"Juugo."

"Juugo-san, thank you." Hinata smiled at the gentle giant. She recalled hearing Kiba mention about his ability to shift into an uncontrollable bloodthirsty monster, but after he kindly decided to volunteer to help a bunch of strangers, it almost compelled her to believe otherwise.

"W-waitaminute! What if Sasuke and Suigetsu come back?" Karin asked, still not believing her eyes and ears.

"Then you guys can go ahead. The mission would be over when Sasuke and Suigetsu finish the missing nin off anyway. I know my way back home, don't worry." Juugo nodded at the redhead before lifting a surprised Hinata bridal style into his arms and leaping deep into the forest.

"I-IDIOT! I AM NOT WORRIED AT ALL! FINE! SEE IF I CARE WHEN SASUKE COMES BACK AND BITES YOUR HEAD OFF WHEN YOU COME BACK!" her shrill voice echoed as Juugo and Hinata headed towards the Aburame's chakra signature.

…

…

"Hina-Mama! Where's Papa's part?" Yume complained, impatience clearly written on her chubby face. The little girl even puffed her cheeks in emphasis.

"Patience, Yume. He's coming, he's coming." Hinata assured her, tapping a finger on her chin. "Let's see, where was I? Oh, right. Your Aunt Karin stayed behind to heal Kiba-kun and Akamaru, and your Uncle Juugo went and helped me find Shino-kun. After a few minutes of searching, we were finally able to locate your Uncle Shino. At first, we only expected a battle between Shino-kun and the bad guys. But much to my surprise back then, it appeared that a few more participants had decided to join the party."

The little girl's black and white eyes twinkled in anticipation, her lips spreading into a big toothy grin.

"Aha! And that's where daddy came in! My favorite part!"

Hinata smiled proudly at her daughter while twisting a strand of her hair as she recalled the first time she really laid eyes on her beloved.

"You're correct. It seemed like your father and the enemy decided to do their battle at the same place Shino-kun was protecting the Daimyou's money. Honestly, all I could remember at first was a flash of bluish lightning, mind you it almost burnt me to crisp if it weren't for Juugo-kun's quick reflexes."

Yume raised a tiny eyebrow. "… So, daddy almost burnt Hina-Mama?"

Hinata laughed nervously, realizing of how twisted their first meeting was. "W-well, sort of. B-but he didn't mean it of course. I think…"

"Anyway, after I could see clearly again, that's when I first saw your father again after the last Ninja War…"

…

…

Hinata coughed as Juugo leaped away from where the lightning nearly struck them.

As they landed back on the ground, the dust and burnt ashes airily floating around them, the still weakened Hyuuga rubbed her eyes and looked up at the shadowy form that landed before them. As the dust and smoke subsided, she realized that the figure's back was facing them. Her eyes widened after she noticed the all too familiar attire of her crush's best friend; the Uchiha crest imprinted on its back was unmistakable.

Finally, his messy dark head turned sidewards and noticed for the first time of the newcomers to the battle.

Shocked lavender-white eyes met swirling black and blood red eyes.

"S-S-Sasuke-kun?!" Hinata gasped.

"Juugo, what is the meaning of this?" Sasuke inquired in a deep no-nonsense tone, his blood red eyes flicking at the giant in question.

"We came to help her friend. The one with the bugs." Juugo replied.

"That creepy dude? He's taking care of the spares." A blob of liquid suddenly appeared beside Sasuke and formed into a pale, sharp-teethed man wielding a giant beheading sword in his hands. The man grinned slyly at the Hyuuga girl like an animal cornering his prey.

"What's this? A hot girl in the middle of the forest? A much more welcome view than Karin, no doubt." He snorted.

"E-excuse me?"

"Suigetsu. What's the enemy's position?" Sasuke asked, flicking his sword of Kusanagi to the right to flick off the blood and dirt on its blade.

"He's still standing on top of the cart. Still hadda few extra scrolls on him. Che, what a coward. That guy really lo~ves his money."

"Then let's hurry and finish him." Juugo stepped forward beside Sasuke and shoved his cape behind him to free his arms.

Hinata stared at the three men in front of her, all of them turning away from her. This was the first time she's ever seen Sasuke's new team up close, with the exception of Karin. She had heard of how well this team worked together, despite their extremely diverse personalities, and that even though they were set free, a lot of people still considered them to be a very dangerous bunch.

And now she's about to witness Team Taka in action.

"_Naruto-kun. If you and Sakura-san were in my place, what would you have done?"_

"Fools! All of you!" Hinata finally noticed Sato standing on top of the money cart some distances away. All around the cart were bloodied and unconscious bodies, some with slash wounds, other's heads severed almost completely, and then some with tiny parasites crawling all over them. It was a sickening sight, but being born and trained as a ninja, it wasn't quite traumatic for Hinata to take in. At least none of her loved ones belonged there. "All of you underestimate my powers! You, little Hyuuga girl, might've been lucky enough to survive my poison genjutsu. But what're you going to do the second time it happens and no one will be here to help you this time!"

"Hyuuga."

Hinata snapped her head towards Sasuke's direction, his back still facing her.

"Y-yes?"

"I suggest you go find your friend and stay away from this place as soon as possible. Unless you want to become a burden and die either by his hands or mine." He ordered nonchalantly. His dark, threatening tone suggested that he would truly not hesitate to rip her apart in cold blood if she gets in his way.

Shakily standing up, she slowly bowed at them in understanding.

"Th-then I th-thank you and wish you all l-luck." She said in a slightly inaudible voice. Juugo turned sidewards and gave her a warm smile.

"And to you as well. Go find your friend and escape quickly."

She smiled back in thanks and bowed for the last time, for a second flicking her eyes at the Uchiha's back before leaping away to search for her teammate.

It was quick for her to spot her teammate nearby, defeating the last of his opponents by making the insects trip him off the cliff. Sighing in relief, the heiress shakily approached the insect-user, who turned just in time to catch her as she lost her balance.

"Hinata! Are you alright?" he asked, a tinge of worry edged in his deadpan tone.

"I-I'm okay, Shino-kun! I'm j-just glad you're alright!" she smiled at her close friend while giving him a friendly hug.

"I'm sorry I had to leave you and Kiba behind. I used one of my insect clones as a distraction while I escaped and tried to retrieve the Daimyou's money. That is, until I was ambushed and had to finish his companions off before I could reach the cart. Luckily, I finished them all off just in time before I lose too much of my chakra."

Shino frowned as he sensed some strong, familiar chakras nearby.

"… Is that-?"

"S-Sasuke-kun? Yes, it is." Hinata replied as her partner raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"Sasuke? What on earth is he doing here?"

"Now's not the time to explain." Hinata shook her head as she balanced herself upright. "W-we have to get out of here. Now."

"Why?"

A loud crash answered his question. The cart where they used to contain the bags of money landed on the trees just a few inches away from them, completely splintered into pieces. The damaged bags of ryos were spread far and wide, all with holes and spilling coins everywhere. So much for trying to save the money.

"No! The reward!" a voice belonging to Sato's echoed nearby.

"W-we have to go back to Kiba-kun!" Hinata pulled Shino's arm and was about to run far away from the crushed cart when she suddenly heard a spinning sound of a shuriken heading towards Shino's behind.

"Shino-kun!"

Activating her Byakugan, she pushed the Aburame away with all her might and spun just in time to the right before the flower-shaped blade imbedded itself on her heart. Unfortunately, due to her weakened reflexes, the poisonous blade was able to scrape her left shoulder. Feeling a familiar wave of dizziness again, she dropped headfirst to the ground. Blinking slowly, her Byakugan deactivated and her vision became blurry due to the impact.

"Hinata!" she heard Shino shout from a short distance, accompanied by a maniacal laugh from where the shuriken came from. A mad-looking Sato wobbled towards her, his face and body bloodied and gravely wounded and his hair scorched, his clothes and summoning scrolls shredded into scraps. The tiny scroll clutched harshly in his right hand seemed to be his last and only hope for escape.

Team Taka finally arrived in the scene and froze as they saw the injured Hyuuga lying on the ground behind a grinning Sato, the latter's hand shakily lifting up his last scroll in grim satisfaction.

"If I'm going to die here, then I'm at least taking one of you down to hell with me!" he screeched, blood and spit showering Hinata's unmoving body.

"Hyuuga-san..." Juugo whispered, wary to make any unnecessary moves that might make Sato snap and kill Hinata for real.

"Shit. Got us bad. Let's leave them to die together, eh?" Suigetsu suggested, grinning in a sadistic manner.

"Once a coward, always a coward." Sasuke smirked conceitedly at the crazy man, seemingly not to care whether he would really kill the Hyuuga or not. "You boast about your poison genjutsu skills, but you still kidnap helpless people and make ransoms in the shadows in order to get money. If you really had that much confidence in your abilities, then why not just outright attack a village and steal their money by yourself? Wouldn't that give you a higher ranking on the roster lists?"

"SHUT UP!" Sato's body shook, his hand nearly crushing his scroll. "If you do not care about this little girl, then I suggest you all step away and let me make my escape."

The last Uchiha shrugged nonchalantly. "I could care less what you do to her. What I do care about right now is having your head imbedded on top of my blade." He lifted his blood-stained sword right in front of his blood-red eyes. The spinning black wheels on his left Sharingan morphed slowly into that of a star-shaped Mangekyo Sharingan.

"Sasuke, be careful." Juugo warned, his eyes never leaving the Hyuuga. The Uchiha, however, did nothing to acknowledge his warning.

"Amaterasu."

Suddenly, a blast of black flames exploded from Sato's right shoulder, quickly eating his arm and eventually his scroll.

"NO! NO NO NO NO NO! WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO MEEEAAAAAAAAGGHHHH-!"

"You wanted hell? You got what you deserve." Sasuke muttered, unmoved by the blood streaking down his eye as he watched the flames consume his enemy.

The genjutsu-user screamed in agony until his whole body was finally consumed completely by the dark flames. Hinata blinked slowly, her numb body suddenly feeling the intense heat of the flames.

"No! HINATA!" Shino shouted, quickly leaping towards them. But before he could reach the burning man, the ground in between them began to give way, dividing them into different lands. As the black flames completely rendered Sato into mere ashes, the ground crumbled and exploded as the flames made contact with it.

"Hyuuga-san!" Juugo shouted. "Sasuke, you have to stop!"

The Uchiha still didn't extinguish his flames, his eyes staring coldly at the Hyuuga lying some inches behind Sato's ashes.

"Just let him be!" Suigetsu demanded. "She's already going to die anyway!"

"HINATA!" Shino watched in horror as the ground separated them. He couldn't risk summoning his insects to save her, as they would just burn into ashes if they attempted to help her.

All the while, the Hyuuga lay there unmovingly, her lavender-white eyes blurrily scanning the people behind the black flames. The genjutsu in Sato's special shurikens didn't need to impose any nightmares for her anymore. Her throat was feeling dry, and she coughed harshly after inhaling a large amount of Amaterasu's smoke. Time seemed to go on forever, the flames in her vision somehow slowed in motion as she felt her life slowly withering away.

"_So this is it then? This is where I'll die."_ She squeezed her eyes shut, silently praying to God that He just quickly end her misery. Despite the scorching dryness, tears began to prickle through her ash-stained lashes. _"I-I'll never see Father or Hanabi ever again. Neji-nii, Kiba-kun, Shino-kun, Kurenai-sensei… I'm sorry. Hanabi, I know you'll become a great leader in the future… I'm just so sorry that I won't be there to witness it… Neji-nii, please take care of her and Father and take care of yourself too…"_

"_Naruto-kun, I'm so so sorry… I didn't get the chance to say a proper goodbye... P-please live happily a-and I sincerely hope that y-you'll find someone who'll truly make you happy for the r-rest of your life… I… I still love you… Even when things couldn't work out… I still l-love you… so so much…"_

Droopily opening her eyes, she smiled at the people behind the flames. She silently apologized to Shino for being so helpless to her situation and prayed that he wouldn't take her death too harshly. She thanked Juugo for showing concern for her even after spending just a short amount of time together. She thanked Karin, wherever she was, for healing her despite her obvious reluctance to help strangers. She didn't have anything much to say to Suigetsu, so she merely hoped that he'd continue to protect Sasuke in whatever manner necessary.

Lastly, her eyes turned to Sasuke, whose blood-red eyes were staring back at her with a blank expression. She frowned as she saw blood seeping from his eyes, remembering the time during the last Ninja War when she last saw him use his ability.

It was a frightening sight, partly because of its humongous, incredible power and partly because of its costs on Sasuke's body.

"_Sasuke-kun… We barely speak to one another even though we both grew up in the same village... But I hope that one day, you'll find it within yourself to return back to Naruto-kun and Sakura-san, and realize that it's not too late to turn back into the light… Seeing you like this… in pain… even though we aren't really friends…"_

"… S-Sasuke-k-kun…" she whispered, closing her eyes in finality as she felt the ground below her crumble and the darkness shrouded her vision.

"_I sincerely hope you'll find your way back home."_

The last she remembered before completely losing consciousness were voices shouting someone's name, the black flames nearly licking her face suddenly dividing into half, and a pair of blood-red eyes turning into a plain onyx shade.

...

* * *

Thanks for reading! :D Now... REVI~EW... XD


	3. 2nd Stop: The Calm Before The Storm Pt2

**OPrincess ShinigamiO** here!

Scratch my last note, THIS is now the longest thing I've ever written. Proud? Yes. Satisfied? Not completely. I feel like I haven't really given this chapter my best efforts, mostly because I wasn't exactly sure on how to execute it, and because of the suddenly heavy downpour of schoolwork bestowed upon me this week (I think one of my teachers hate me -_-).

Right. Anyway, let me follow up by posting some new trivia to take note of:

~ For all those curious as to what Masayume looks like, she has dark, messy locks like her father. It's usually tied up in a one-sided ponytail. As mentioned before, she has both the eyes of the Uchiha and the Hyuuga, one black and one (lavender) white.

~Her favorite color's pink, but despite that she loves playing ninja the most, vowing to become as strong as her ideal vision of her father while remaining as graceful as her mother (albeit failing miserably, she's a troublesome kid). She always carries an orange belt pouch to hold her toy sword and other items ever since she was five.

~She also wears a thin, almost transparent necklace with a tiny bottle charm that holds something immensely important should she ever be attacked. It was created by her Uncle Neji to be used for protection in case he and Hinata aren't around to save her.

~Ironically, her favorite food are onigiri (especially the ones decorated by her mother) and steak, both her late Uncle Itachi's favorite and least favorite food. She also has a low tolerance for anything spicy like her Uncle Neji.

~ The reason why Yume calls Hinata "Hina-Mama" instead of just Mama or Mommy is because she finds her mother's name very beautiful. Also, she likes how "Hina-Mama" sounds. :P

To all those who reviewed, favorited, and followed, thank you very very VERY much for your support! I'm so happy to see that this fic is well-received, and I hope that you'll continuously support me, even those only lurking in the shadows ;) Although, some reviews and constructive criticism, of which I could probably use a lot in this chapter, would help a lot!

**BlindAdmirer:** It really depends on how the authors execute it, because there are moments when I do enjoy the detailed fighting scenes of some stories. I'm just not very gifted in that kind of field. But I'm glad you liked my style of writing. The reason why I chose to make Yume a girl is because I find it really adorable to see tough, strong men like Sasuke suddenly transform into soft, doting fathers who, not to mention, become VERY overprotective of their daughters. :D As for what excuse Hinata uses to appease her daughter about her father's long absence, it will all be revealed in time. ;)

**Guest 1,2,3** & **Saihei**: Thank you for your support! I'm glad you guys enjoyed the first two chapters! Hopefully this one won't disappoint. :D

* * *

_Masayume_

…

_2__nd__ Stop_

…

_The Calm Before The Storm Pt.2_

…

_He didn't know why he hesitated._

_For a second there, he felt pity for the poor Hyuuga girl, lying there in the midst of his Amaterasu's black flames of hell._

_He knew that he wasn't one who pitied the helpless, nor would he show any sort of mercy to the weak._

_She had brought herself into this situation, and look where it got her._

_She wasn't strong. At least, not powerful enough to deserve acknowledgement from him. Then again, he never really got to know her anyway._

_But when his blood-red eyes zoomed in to read her shivering lips form his name, with a pitiful smile no less, something inside him cracked._

"… _S-Sasuke-k-kun…"_

_Maybe he was getting too soft. After the war, people have been whispering here and there that he's changed somewhat. Maybe for the better, maybe for the worse._

_It didn't help them warm up to him however._

_But what was good enough for everyone was that he wasn't causing any more trouble. At least, ones that weren't worth imprisoning an eternity for._

_Maybe it was Itachi, his beloved older brother who sacrificed his life and reputation just for his little brother, that was pushing him to rethink his actions._

_It worked before when he ultimately decided not to destroy his brother's beloved village._

_Or maybe that orange idiot finally got to him somehow, who no matter what never gave up on his estranged best friend, even when he himself deemed it a hopeless, naïve case._

"_Sasuke."_

_A soft yet scolding voice that was uncannily like his late mother's was the last straw._

_That's it. He has officially gone mad._

"… _Goddammit."_

_He wasn't entirely sure of what happened next._

_The first thing he remembered was jumping into the black flames, ignoring the shocked calls of the giant and the swordsman._

_He ignored the disbelieving stare the insect-user gave him as he commanded the flames to make way for him._

_The next thing he did was gather the unconscious, ash-covered Hyuuga into his arms, extinguish the little flames from her hair and clothes, and leap down and down the cliff as the ground below them disintegrated._

_And all because of her whispering his name as if he was the one who's supposed to be pitied._

_Thunder and rain accompanied their fall._

…

…

"Hinata! You in here?"

The young mother looked up as a man with short silver hair entered their front door, carefully setting down on the living room table some large bags of groceries. Yume jumped down from the counter and ran to the said man.

"UMI-BRO! You just ruined the best part!" she cried as she jumped into his arms. The man quirked an eyebrow before turning an inquiring eye to the older Hyuuga.

"Do you mind sharing?" he asked.

Hinata giggled. "Yume just wanted to hear about her father again. And thank you for picking up the groceries for me, Izumi-kun." She said as she picked up one of the bags and headed for the fridge.

The handsome, baby-faced man shrugged. "It's no problem. Mom's been complaining all day about how lazy I'm becoming, so I might as well do you some favors right? After all, you did help out a lot in our place."

Opening the fridge, Hinata smiled softly at Izumi. "It's the least I could do for your family. After all, you, Miyoko-chan, and Aya-san have helped us a whole lot when we first moved here."

Izumi blushed slightly, rubbing his head in embarrassment. "Eh, w-well. There was a-absolutely no way we could refuse. Even when you and your cousin first arrived in the village, Mom and I knew right away that you guys were good people." He shuddered. "Well, at least you were. Your cousin was pretty scary back then, glaring at me like I was some animal. Actually, he still freaks me out now…"

"I beg your pardon?" A stern voice interrupted him.

The silver-haired man jumped and felt goosebumps all over his body, turning nervously behind him just to see the very man he just spoke negatively about.

"… H-h-hey, N-Neji…"

The serious Hyuuga was donning his trademark scowl, as he looked at Izumi with practically thunderbolts in his white eyes. Yume squealed in excitement and jumped from Izumi to Neji's half-expectant arms, earning a "Be careful!" warning from her mother.

"Uncle Neji! Look what Haru did to Yume's sword!" she puffed her chubby cheeks angrily as she showed the two broken pieces of her toy sword. "He said that real ninjas didn't need swords! That's not true right? Because Papa is a strong ninja and he uses a sword!"

"Is that why your hands are covered in bruises?" Neji raised an eyebrow at the sight of his niece's black and blue hands. The little girl gulped and hid her hands behind her back in embarrassment, knowing that her uncle also shared her mother's views about fighting back.

"B-b-but… H-he was s-so mean…"

"Don't worry. She's going to apologize first thing in school tomorrow. Aren't you, honey?" Hinata turned from the fridge and gave a bright yet forced smile at her daughter. The child shuddered and dropped her dark head in defeat; her messy dark bangs shadowing her black and white eyes. "… Yes, Hina-Mama."

Neji smiled softly at the mother-daughter interaction. Even though his cousin was known to be meek and gentle, he never truly expected her to have so much power over her daughter to the point of scaring her with just one not-so-innocent look.

"_Uncle would definitely be proud."_

"I don't get it." Izumi scratched his neck. "Why can't little Yume fight back? It was that idiot kid's fault anyway-" He paused after seeing the pointed glares of the two Hyuugas towards him. "-then again, maybe revenge isn't so great after all!" He quickly finished, coughing and whistling to distract them.

"Come, Yume. Why don't we go and buy you a new toy?" The male Hyuuga chuckled as his niece's black and white eyes suddenly shone with excitement.

"Another sword, Uncle Neji? Yume wants a real one!"

Neji shook his head in disbelief. Even though she barely knew him at all, she still idolized her father greatly.

"Don't spoil her too much, Neji-nii." Hinata complained, closing the fridge after emptying all the grocery bags. Izumi grinned cheekily at the happy child as he leaned on the kitchen counter. "Yume already has enough toys in her room."

"B-b-but, Hina-Mama!" Yume pouted at her mother, her eyes widening and turning glassy in an attempt to bend her mother to her will.

"Hinata-sama, just consider this as an early birthday present. After all, her sixth birthday isn't far off anyway." Neji added, earning an aggressive nod from his proud niece.

Sighing, the young mother waved a hand with a tired, defeated look. "Alright, alright. But this is the last one you're getting from your uncle until Christmas. I don't want you getting used to receiving presents when you don't need them." She turned her wary eyes pointedly at her cousin. Sometimes, her older cousin just couldn't stop spoiling her daughter enough. Despite his tough demeanor and his grudge against her father, the Hyuuga prodigy always held a soft spot for his beloved niece.

"YAY! Let's go, Uncle Neji!" Yume exclaimed as she climbed onto her uncle's shoulders. Smiling, Neji gave his cousin a reassuring nod before walking outside the house with Yume.

"Come back before dinner, both of you."

Although Neji lived in a house a bit more downhill than theirs, it was family tradition for him to have dinner with his cousin and niece almost every night.

The former heiress sighed again as she turned off the gas on her stove and sat on a dining chair. Izumi's hazel eyes quietly observed the silent woman as she stared blankly at the door.

"So, she's been asking about her father again?" he concluded solemnly.

"Yes, even moreso now." She replied, her lips turning into a sad frown. "I don't know what's gotten into her. Ever since Neji-nii gave her the toy sword, she's been growing more and more curious about her father everyday. Why, before you came in, she asked me to tell her about my first meeting with him again when I clearly remember that she just asked to hear about it a week ago and the month before that."

Silence fell over them. Hinata felt tears springing up as she suddenly recalled the last time she saw her Uchiha lover and the last time she heard his name spoken outwardly.

"_If ever I come out of this alive… I want you to be the first person I see. And I mean it."_

"_Hinata-sama… Sasuke has apparently survived the procedure. He's just returned to active duty back at Konoha… But they also say that he's been seeing someone else now… he has moved on, Hinata-sama. I'm sorry..."_

"… I could make you happy."

Hinata's lavender-white eyes widened as she snapped her head towards her suddenly melancholic companion in surprise. "Wh-what?"

His face turning bright red, Izumi waved his hands in dismissal. "N-nothing! Nothing at a-all! Oh geez, would you look at the time?" He whistled, pretending to check the nonexistent watch on his wrist. "Mom and Miyo's probably gonna kill me for not preparing the dinner table! Not to mention we still have a lot to plan for Saturday! Don't have much time left! Little Yume will surely have the biggest surprise of her life!"

"O-oh, I see. Why don't I help you out with the party-planning?" Hinata asked.

"No no no! No need for that! We all know what Yume likes and dislikes, her favorite color and what food she likes and what gifts we should prepare for her and-" He paused, slapping a hand on his burning face in embarrassment. "S-sorry… I'm yapping too much again, aren't I? Look, it's alright. We can handle the party ourselves. But then again, maybe you could come over and check on our list tomorrow, see if you could add some more to it." Izumi suggested, peeking shyly at the Hyuuga's direction.

The young mother gently smiled, nodding her head in agreement. "Alright then. I'm supposed to prepare dinner soon anyway."

The silver-haired man gave a boyish grin accompanied by a thumbs-up.

"Then I'll make my grand exit! Until tomorrow then, Hinata-hime! I promise, we'll make this Saturday the best birthday party little Yume'll ever have! You better believe it!"

Hinata giggled as he childishly skipped towards the front door, giving a tiny salute of farewell before disappearing from view. Sometimes, the silly man reminded her so much of Naruto and Lee due to their sunny personalities and all-too-contagious positivity.

A far cry, without a doubt, from the Uchiha.

Shaking her head, her thoughts went back to when she thought she heard Izumi whisper something about making her happy. She had known for awhile now that the young man felt some sort of affection for her. But she was never too sure whether his feelings were genuine or just a temporary puppy crush.

"_I suppose I should be grateful that it's nothing too serious yet." _

It's not that she's being unfair to him. It's just that she isn't entirely sure of whether she could give her heart to someone else just yet. Even after all these years, even after she knew that she had to let him go, she knew deep within her soul that the only person who still had the key to her heart was Sasuke.

Although she initially did love him, the feelings she had felt for Naruto were entirely different to what she feels for Sasuke. Even though it hurt at first, she eventually didn't mind when Naruto began seeing other people after their quick romantic relationship dissolved albeit amicably. But with Sasuke, it still hurts like hell to imagine him being in another woman's arms.

Yes, she knows that she could survive and live a happy life without him, much like what she's doing now with Yume. But still, to wake up every in the morning in his warm embrace and have him come home every night to her and their daughter would definitely make her feel a lot more contented.

"_Wake up, Hinata. Sasuke is happy now. The least you can do is pray that everything would go smoothly for him this time."_ Hinata thought to herself as she opened the fridge and gathered a few ingredients for her vegetable soup, subsequently carrying a few tomatoes into her hands.

"Tomatoes…" she whispered as she recalled the times when she used to prepare his favorite fruit, sliced and served with a spoonful of mayonnaise while he came home from either a mission or the hospital. She still remembered the cute, subtle tug of his lips and the tiny twinkle in his dark eyes whenever he came home with a plate of tomatoes waiting for him on the table.

Subconsciously, she brought a hand to her chest and rubbed the white pendant hanging on a silver chain around her neck all the while as she prepared dinner.

Turning the stove back on, she stared solemnly as the tiny blue fire heated her pot of soup, smiling as she recalled the first real conversation she had with the grumpy Uchiha, in the most unlikely circumstances.

"… Sasuke-kun…"

…

…

"NO!"

She woke up with a start.

Outside, the sounds of thunder rumbled throughout the tiny cave.

Turning her head up, the Hyuuga's lavender-white eyes widened as she noticed a crown of icicle-like stalagmites everywhere in the low dark ceiling. On the ground, her hands felt rough cold stone, causing her to shiver from the temperature. A tiny cracking fire danced on tiny pieces of twigs, fighting to not let its light die while illuminating the shadows of the statuesque rocks.

"Ow…" She clutched her slightly fazed head and her bare left shoulder as she felt the wound burning at the sudden movement. But to her surprise, a severed piece of white cloth was wrapped around it tightly like a bandage, with tiny blotches of blood staining it. It even felt as if someone transferred chakra on the wound and all over her.

"_Wait a minute. Where are my…?"_

The Hyuuga heiress let out a croaked shriek when she found that she was barely wearing anything at all, save for her black sports bra and underwear. Immediately she folded her legs together and wrapped her arms around her chest.

Lying on the ground beside her was a crumpled, slightly wet shirt probably three sizes too large for her, with one sleeve ripped apart, which she guessed was her makeshift bandage. It must've been used to cover her up until it slipped when she sat up.

As fast as her Gentle Fist execution, she quickly pulled the shirt over her body, shakily clutching its sides tightly in order to conceal herself.

"_N-no, i-i-it couldn't be…"_ she thought to herself in a state of panic, rocking herself back and forth and rubbing her arms to calm herself. _"N-n-nothing c-could've happened… r-right?... N-no one, no one c-could've-!"_

"You're awake."

She let out a terrified squeak as she scrambled backwards until she felt the back of her head bump the rough wall behind her back. Ignoring the pain while activating her Byakugan and forming her arms in a defensive position, she shakily called out the voice's owner, her voice cracking due to her throat's dryness. "… Wh-who's th-th-there?"

A pair of onyx eyes, reflected with the flames' light, silently answered her question. His dark orbs stared right back at her white ones with undisguised restlessness. They narrowed considerably while he observed her sketchy reactions.

Recognizing his eyes, Hinata gulped nervously as she clutched the shirt tighter to hide her chest. It didn't help that her strange companion was wearing nothing from waist up, seeing that his shirt was with the Hyuuga.

"… S-S-Sasuke-kun?"

"I don't recall asking you to speak." He demanded ruthlessly, effectively silencing the frightened Hyuuga girl, for a moment.

"… I-I'm s-s-sorry-!"

His dark eyes glowered in impatience, earning a tiny yelp and inaudible whispers of apologies from her stuttering lips.

The heiress bowed her head in despair, not knowing exactly what to do or how to feel. Did Sasuke Uchiha, _the_ Sasuke Uchiha who ran away to fulfill his revenge against his brother and then planned to almost destroy Konoha completely until changing his mind during the last war, save Hinata Hyuuga, a nobody in his eyes, from burning and getting crushed into dust? Or did he have an ulterior motive for all this?

Did he… did he actually took advantage of her?

In all honesty, she never thought of him as the type to do such things, no matter how evil people thought him to be. But learning from past experiences, she could never be too sure.

"I didn't do anything disrespectful, if that's what you're so scared about." His deep voice answered her silent fears in an unimpressed tone.

Letting out a huge sigh of relief, she aggressively nodded her head in understanding, deactivated her eyes, and slouched on the wet uneven wall in sudden exhaustion.

"O-oh, I-I see… Th-that's good, that's good… I-I'm alright…"

"_I-It's okay… Nothing's happened."_ She smiled in reassurance of herself. Right after her temporary joy died away, she began fidgeting as she ran questions in her head as to why he took her clothes off.

The thunder claps and the rain showers outside their tiny dark refuge answered her questions with a bang.

On the other side of the fire, the Uchiha wasn't entirely sure of whether to be infuriated or amused at her possibly accusing him of doing such cowardly things. First of all, if it were possible for him to lust after her, despite the surprisingly impressive curves he discovered when baring her off her baggy and charred clothes to hang dry, he wouldn't be so stupid as to take advantage of her while she's asleep.

Even he could understand the importance of respecting women in that manner. He did have a mother after all.

Secondly, why in the world would she even think of such things when the first question that should've popped into her mind was "Why am I still alive?"

Granted, he did give her the shock of her life by taking her clothes off without permission, and he did told her to shut up.

The former avenger quietly observed the shivering Hyuuga girl as she fervently rubbed her arms for warmth despite the fire cackling in front of her. Then again, his fire was rather tiny. His strength wasn't really in its best condition right now.

Subconsciously, the dark man lifted a hand to the back of his left shoulder, where several years ago the snake Sannin Orochimaru imprinted a cursed seal on it. That is, until his brother disconnected the snake's link from him for good.

Still, there was something off about her reactions earlier.

"S-Sasuke-kun?" she chattered softly, her light eyes forcing themselves to look straight into his dark ones. Sasuke frowned at her in annoyance, making her flinch slightly. But he didn't refute her vocally, so Hinata took it as a sign for her to speak.

"I… I w-was just w-wondering, w-w-why y-you decided t-to s-save me?" she meekly asked, her fingers subconsciously playing with each other.

Silence overwhelmed the dark cavern. The Uchiha's unreadable eyes just looked at her with so much focus that it made her a notch more uncomfortable than she already was.

"… I'm not entirely sure." He muttered as he finally looked away.

"O-oh."

Hinata bowed her head in disappointment. Then again, maybe she should've known better than to ask for a real answer from the avenger. Despite knowing very little about him, she didn't need to be a genius prodigy like her cousin to know that he wasn't an especially tolerant person when it came to nosy people.

But still, it was mind-boggling enough to think for the fact alone that he saved her from crashing and burning to her death. She couldn't think of a single reason for him to do it, especially since he doesn't even know her that well.

Unless…

Again, the sounds of rolling thunder and the pitter-pattering of rainfall echoed throughout the cave.

So much for a white Christmas.

Suddenly remembering the freezing temperature and that Sasuke was barely wearing anything appropriate, the Hyuuga loosened her hold on his shirt and moved to shrug it off, shivering at the cold breeze that suddenly kissed her bare stomach.

"A-ano, S-Sasuke-kun?"

He looked at her in inquiry, only to see her hold out his white shirt for him to take.

"… I don't get cold so easily." He merely grumbled, purposely ignoring her offer. She raised an eyebrow in worry. She didn't know how he did it, but judging by his body language, he seemed true to his word. Nodding her head in thanks, she slipped her arms back into the armholes and grasped the ends tightly.

After a few moments of silence, the slightly bored heiress looked around the small dark cavern in observation. She remembered the ground breaking beneath her, the black flames turning to consume her, and then lastly a pair of red eyes turning darker as she felt herself fall into oblivion.

Putting two and two together, she concluded that on the way down, Sasuke must've chanced upon this cave as he looked for a means to avoid the raining rocks. Unfortunately, because of the avalanche caused by the intense flames of Amaterasu, the broken earth tumbled down the mountain and trapped their opening so deeply, it allowed them no possible access of escape.

Therefore, the two of them were stuck together unless someone from either of their teams would find them and get them out of there.

That is, if they could find them before they run out of oxygen completely.

Hinata shook her head. Of course her teammates would find her. She never doubted Kiba and Akamaru's strong sense of smell. And Shino could use his insects to scan the whole mountain and track them down into the closed cave.

Looking at her right, she found her mesh-net undershirt, her lavender jacket and her pants, all charred by the edges, hanging on some broken trunk on the wall, beside a gathering of several heavy-looking rocks and branches stuck together by hard, compressed earth.

That must've been the opening.

"S-Sasuke-kun?"

The Uchiha turned his head towards her, his eyes narrowing at her interruption of the peace and quiet. "What now?"

"I, a-ano, I w-was just wondering… c-couldn't you just m-make a new o-opening for us to g-get out to?" she asked, half scared of what he might say. But she just couldn't succeed in finding sense to their trapped situation. Surely a few heavy rocks and earth couldn't stop him from blasting the hole open again right? Especially if the one trapped inside it happened to be the sole Uchiha, who is by now well known to the whole world for his dangerous strength and power.

"If I could, I would've done that by now, wouldn't I?" He remarked sarcastically, rolling his eyes at her as if it were the most obvious thing.

Unconvinced, Hinata's white eyes searched his dark ones, as if she could find the answer if she looked deeper.

It was then that the Hyuuga noticed the subtle dried track marks reflected beneath his eyes, its tracks trickling down his pale cheek until reaching under his chin. Frowning at the curious sight, she then recalled blurrily seeing blood seeping through his eyes when he began activating his Mangekyo Sharingan.

It was just like during the Fourth Great Ninja War when he overused his power. Several days after the war's end, she heard from Naruto that Sakura had to cover his eyes in a blindfold for a month until they recovered.

Somewhat, she felt sympathetic to his situation, since she herself suffered in a similar situation.

He was lucky this time around for not overstressing his powers, since it's apparent that he still retained his vision quite clearly.

"Why?"

Hinata snapped her head up towards the Uchiha, her eyes widening in surprise as she realized that he voluntarily spoke on his own account despite having no reason to. The avenger was glaring at her in a strange, calculating way, studying her as if she were some sort of puzzle and he wasn't entirely sure whether he wanted to take the challenge or not.

"W-what?"

"Why did you call my name?" he asked, his eyes hardened in concentration.

Hinata's eyebrows dipped into a confused frown, turning the wheels in her head backwards in retrospect.

"I did? I-I… Oh, that." Hinata blushed slightly, a bit embarrassed with her reason. "I w-was just w-wishing that, um, th-that you would eventually f-find it within yourself to b-be happy again…"

It was Sasuke's eyebrows that dipped into a frown afterwards, not exactly liking where this was going. He crossed his arms together in front of his bare chest.

"What would you know about my happiness?"

The Hyuuga looked down at her fidgeting toes while her fingernails gently scratched the edges of his shirt. She bit her lip in discretion.

"I… I h-honestly don't. I only hear w-what people say about you. I don't r-really know the real you, y-your past or your g-goals, o-or your memories of y-your family, or what your f-favorite foods are, or who you even c-consider as y-your friend. I-I really d-don't know the true you at all."

Gathering her guts, Hinata determinedly looked back up and made eye contact with him, even allowing herself a tiny brave smile.

"B-but I d-do know that you've been l-lonely. I-I don't know if I c-could help somehow, b-but if I c-could, I would f-find a way for you to b-be happy even if y-you don't want to. S-so for now, or at least, b-back then w-when I thought that all hopes were l-lost to me, I could only pray for y-your happiness. A-and I do believe th-that you will f-find it, one day!"

The Uchiha's eyes darkened.

Who the hell does she think she is? Some kind of goody-goody people-pleaser who easily preaches about finding redemption while pretending to understand you when they just don't get it at all?

A single ball of spitfire like the annoying blonde dobe, who truly thinks that everyone could end up having lives full of sunshines and rainbows, was already blinding enough for him to bear.

Maybe saving her wasn't such a sane idea after all.

"Well, you were right about one thing." He glared at the Hyuuga, his eyes full of dark emotion and acid laced in his tone. "Your motives are unwelcome to me."

Heavily implying that the conversation was over, the Uchiha shifted his sitting position further from the light and turned his back on her.

The Hyuuga, left speechless and unsure of what to do, sighed heavily in disappointment of herself and rested her chin on her knees. She didn't mean to offend the former avenger, although she did somewhat expected him to react badly. But then, why wouldn't he?

He was right about her having no right to easily say such things. But still, how could he actually expect her to understand when he himself refuses to open up about his inner monsters?

She huffed uncomfortably due to the freezing atmosphere, literally and rhetorically. She listened as the tiny flames continuously licked the cracking twigs while the soft landings of the rain drummed on their cave, wondering if the snowy weather back at Konoha was less merciful.

"_Well, at least everyone back home is celebrating Christmas with their families and friends. I'm sure that everyone's having a great time right now. Well, except for Kiba-kun and Shino-kun. I'm so sorry, you two."_

Closing her eyes, she folded her hands tightly and prayed to the heavens that the two were doing fine. As her thoughts wandered back to the present, her lavender-white eyes slowly lifted up to study the silent Uchiha's slightly hunched back. Her all-seeing eyes frowned at the several uneven scars marred on his pale flesh; the permanent costs of his harsh, bloodthirsty life.

Her lips formed a sad frown at the thought of him spending more than half of his life in bloodshed rather than in peace, surrounded by his loved ones.

" _I wonder when was the last time you've ever enjoyed Christmas."_

"… My mother used to bake me two trays of cinnamon buns every Christmas Eve. One for the holiday, and one for my birthday." She suddenly mentioned, much to his and her surprise. She wasn't entirely sure of what she's doing. All she knew was that they needed a distraction.

From everything.

And it didn't really matter whether he'll hate her even more for being a burden, because if he really wanted her dead, he could've accomplished it long beforehand.

Curiously, his body jerked slightly before turning his head sidewards to show her an irritated "I don't care" look. The Hyuuga girl, however, pretended not to notice, continuing to prattle on about whatever stories that came into mind.

"Father would always disapprove because they aren't exactly the healthiest foods to have in your stomach, especially since they're too sweet for his tastes." Hinata giggled and smiled softly as she recalled the beautiful angelic smile her mother would always bestow upon her whenever offering her a tray of her favorite homemade cinnamon buns. "But I just couldn't help myself. Every time she offered them to me, I could never resist them! All that warm gooey cinnamon cream on the soft fluffy hot loaf of bread-"

A low growl suddenly echoed from her stomach. Hinata blushed fiercely, realizing suddenly of how hungry she was. But since there was apparently no way of getting food at the moment, she decided to ramble on to distract herself from her impending hunger.

Usually, due to her shyness and insecurity, she was never the type who talked too much about very personal matters. But this time, she somehow felt that in order for him to open up to her even for a little bit, she in turn needed to do the same thing to prove her trust in him.

On the other hand, unknown to her, the Uchiha inwardly cursed her and her cinnamon buns for making him even hungrier than usual. And he wasn't even fond of sweet sugary things!

"Mama's cinnamon buns were the best confectionaries I've ever tasted my whole life, and even until now, I still think that nobody, not even the cooks in the Hyuuga household or the best bakeries in Konoha, could ever beat the buns Mama used to bake for me."

Her mood slightly dampened as she recalled one of the saddest moments of her life.

"Ten months after Hanabi was born, Mama was suddenly struck with an illness. I was still too young back then to realize its seriousness, so I unknowingly took our time together for granted." Her lips formed into a sad smile. "She died four months later, during the last day of spring."

Taking a deep breath, she gave a tiny proud beam.

"But Mama never outwardly showed any weakness. Throughout it all, she never once hinted explicitly that she was getting sicker, always playing with me and Hanabi whenever I asked and always going to the kitchen to bake my favorite cinnamon buns even though there was no special occasion and even when she was ordered to stay at bed rest. Although now that I think about it, she did turn a lot paler and thinner every time I saw her. She always brushed it off saying that it was just the weather doing her in."

The Hyuuga shook her head to disperse her bittersweet memories of her mother. A teardrop landed on her right knee, surprising herself as she felt more unconsciously sliding down her cheeks.

"O-oh my… I-I'm so sorry… I sh-shouldn't have-!" she mumbled incoherently, trying to cease herself from blubbering as she quickly wiped her eyes and cheeks.

"_I-I'm so selfish!"_ she thought to herself as she suppressed a sob. _"H-how can I do this to him? His family, his mother died in a much cruel fashion, and here I am, speaking of my own mother and crying as if I'm more pitiful!"_

She bit her bottom lip in an attempt to cease her tears. Maybe it wasn't such a great idea after all to speak of the past.

Unnoticeably, the Uchiha has been eerily silent the whole time.

"… My mother." He started, completely taking Hinata's attention by surprise. He closed his eyes and frowned deeply, chastising himself of remembering such a painful past.

"She… loved the fact that tomatoes became my favorite craving. Everytime I did something good, she'd always reward me with a plate of sliced tomatoes, with a side of mayonnaise."

He didn't know why he was suddenly revealing all this. But the Hyuuga girl didn't seem to be the type who gossips, nor do they have anything else better to do in the cave anyway. Most likely, she'd probably forget all about it when they finally get out of this murky place.

"It was healthy, so she had absolutely no qualms about my growing obsession with the fruit, although she and my father did get grumpy at times when I kept insisting on including it in every meal. Even before I started school in the Academy, she started planting tomato seeds in our backyard."

"_She never got to see them ripen."_

His expression darkened as he recalled the night he dreadfully remembered the most, the warm dark blood seeping into their living room floor and into his toes as the dreary image of his parents' lifeless bodies entered his vision.

Worst of all, he remembered the sight of his brother's merciless red eyes, void from any sort of emotion as he stood before their bodies.

Hinata bit her lip in worry as she felt the atmosphere grow heavier.

"M-mine too!" She chirped in. "A-ano, well, m-my mother used to spend so much time in the gardens. E-even before she died, she s-still loved taking care of h-her flowers every single day." She wrung her hands together, her fingers playing with the shirt's wrinkled fabric. "She-she'd always tell me the meanings of her flowers, like h-how pink carnations are supposed to signify gratitude, or how peonies are used to pray for the healing of loved ones. I-I p-personally love lavenders. B-but I didn't like how they're sometimes p-portrayed as the epitome of distrust…"

She didn't know whether her quick distraction worked.

But as she saw her companion's rigid back relax at her words, her eyes brightened and her lips lifted up into a satisfied smile. Her lashes lowered as she watched the tiny fire dance ethereally as if congratulating her, the mood turning up ever so slightly despite the freezing cold.

The Uchiha didn't reply any more than that, his back still facing her. Nevertheless, it was good enough for the Hyuuga that he was able to connect with her in some way, even just by a little bit. In their very short time together, his words and actions made her realize that somewhere deep inside that broken, unfairly judged shell, there was still a little boy, clinging to the past and craving to see his mother and loved ones again.

Just as much as she wished to see her mother.

Her eyes softened as the atmosphere lightened considerably. Distracted by her tiny accomplishment, she didn't notice the ceasing of the thunder and rain noises outside their tiny refuge.

Maybe there really was hope for him after all.

Suddenly, a loud rumbling noise interrupted their comfortable silence. The ceiling began shaking; dust and rock formations began collapsing.

Immediately alert, both shinobis jumped to their feet as their activated eyes pointed keenly on the crumbling wall by the closed opening, his hand clutching readily on his sword's guard and her arms forming a defensive stance, until finally, a fist-sized hole blasted through the wall, letting in some outside light and the cool dusty breeze effectively blowing the tiny campfire off.

"Hinata! You in there?!" Kiba's loud, slightly desperate voice echoed, accompanied by a bark.

"Sasuke! Are you alright?!" A feminine voice followed after in a worried tone.

Both trapped ninjas sighed in relief. Finally, they were going to be free.

"W-we're here, Kiba-kun!" Hinata called out. She couldn't resist the giant grin forming on her lips as she heard her teammate exclaim in victory.

"Hinata! Thank God you're alive! Just hold on a sec! We'll get you out there in no time!"

"Better make it quick. That thing kinda looks like it's gonna bury them alive any time now." Suigetsu's voice rang in.

"Let me." A familiar, calm voice suggested. "Please move back a little."

"O-Oi! What're you gonna-?!"

A muffled roar answered their question, and soon enough a large, scaly arm in a form of a giant chisel blasted through the thick wall, effectively creating a new opening though with the cost of the impending collapse of the cave's ceiling. Swiftly, the giant arm molded into a wing-like claw, swooped the two ninjas protectively into its palm and pulled them out just seconds before the whole ceiling caved in completely.

Landing on a small, steady ground some kilometers away, the giant freed the two ninjas from his hold before his arm slowly transformed back into normal human flesh.

Sasuke nodded at him in approval. "Good work, Juugo. You're getting better at controlling it."

The giant smiled in return. His relief for friend's survival was easily readable on his face. He then turned to the Hyuuga girl and nodded. "It's good to see you alive as well, Hyuuga-san."

The latter smiled and lowered her head in thanks. "Th-thank you for saving us, Juugo-san."

"HINATA!"

Out of nowhere, her canine companion and his dog pushed themselves through the giant and immediately enveloped her into a tight hug. Their other teammate followed after and just stood silently nearby, his concealed lips forming a tiny smile.

"God, you had me worried back there! We've been looking for you for almost two days! It wasn't easy looking under every piece of rubble until we finally got your scent, no thanks to that damned freezing rainstorm! You should've seen the look on Shino's face too and-… why are you not wearing any pants?"

Suddenly remembering her lack of clothing, the Hyuuga yelped and crouched down, tugging Sasuke's shirt around her chest and blushing furiously as she heard someone whistle at her. After what happened, she almost forgot that her own clothes were now buried along with the cave. She even forgot for a moment about the cold, biting air because of her immense relief.

"K-K-Kiba-kun." She stuttered intensely due to both the cold and her embarrassment. "D-d-did y-you h-hap-ppen t-to b-bring m-m-my p-p-pack?"

Unfortunately, the Inuzuka wasn't paying attention to her.

After he hastily shrugged off a layer of his clothes and tossed them at his teammate, the infuriated ninja suddenly pounced at the Uchiha, who had just stolen his own teammate's cloak and wrapped it around himself ("Hey!" Suigetsu barked), baring his sharp fangs threateningly as he grabbed him by the throat. The latter however merely quirked an impatient eyebrow at his abrupt attack.

"Let go of me, mutt."

"YOU! You better not have done to her what I think you've done!" he yelled.

"Kiba, calm down." Shino ordered, although his eyes hardened at the thought of the Uchiha taking advantage of Hinata.

"HEY YOU! STOP BOTHERING SASUKE YOU, YOU PERVERT!"

A punch on the face blew the Inuzuka into a small tree, causing it to collapse due to the impact. His dog growled at the redhead whose fist was responsible for his master's demise.

Karin, however, pointed angrily at the fallen ninja, her face flaring as red as her hair. "How dare you even think for a second that Sasuke would do such a shameful act! He would NEVER stoop as low as that, you shitty dog-breath!"

Almost immediately after noticing the Uchiha's stark nakedness beneath his cloak, she quickly wrapped her arms around him, failing to cease herself from drooling at the wonderful sight as she rubbed her hands all around his torso while insisting that she was just warming him up. Her object of affection could only roll his eyes in irritation.

"Funny you're saying that, especially after almost getting killed yourself because of him…" Suigetsu snickered behind them, immediately melting into a puddle before the kunoichi could kick him in the gut. "… Bitch."

Watching them, Hinata would've been amused by their actions if it weren't for her still being in an indecent state of attire. To her surprise, she felt something soft and heavy land at her head, covering half her sight. As she flopped it down, her eyes widened as she realized that it was her lavender jacket.

The heiress snapped her head up in inquiry, spotting the Uchiha subtlety turn his dark eyes upon her. It was then that she realized that he must've grabbed ahold of her jacket before Juugo quickly swept them outside the crumbling cave.

Steadily standing up with the help of the Aburame, she shrugged the jacket onto her shoulders and zipped it up, holding a tight grip of the material close to her heart as she called out to him.

"S-S-Sasuke-k-kun! A-ano, th-thank y-!"

"It was nothing." He insisted firmly in his usual nonchalant tone, turning his back on her.

"Let's go. We're done here."

"Che, fine."

After giving a wink at the heiress, the swordsman leaped off the edge. The orange-haired giant followed afterwards, but not before giving a respectful farewell to the trio. The bewildered redhead, however, glared daggers at the Hyuuga girl after the latter gave her thanks to the Uchiha. Pushing up her glasses in annoyance, she turned away with an impatient huff and followed the two down the mountain before Hinata could thank her again for saving her and Kiba the last time.

Shortly afterwards, a barter of arguments echoed through the mountains.

"Hyuuga."

She turned to see his back facing her, unsure of what to feel about their parting. Even though she couldn't exactly say that they've become friends, she had a feeling deep within her gut that the short connection they had that day wasn't still in its full potential, and that this wouldn't be the last time they'd see each other.

"Th-thank you, S-Sasuke-kun." She whispered loud enough for him to hear.

He turned his head sidewards, regarding her for the last time.

"Have a good birthday."

He then leaped away from the astonished Hyuuga and disappeared from her sight.

…

_It was four days later when the trio returned back to Konoha in time for New Years' Eve, that the heiress realized that his shirt was still in her possession._

…

_It wasn't until five months later though, during the last day of spring, that the two crossed paths again. _

_Followed by a memorable seven months of temporary bliss._

…

* * *

Oo~oh. Looks like Hinata's not the only one with competition. :P

Thanks for reading and keep supporting my story (and motivation) by following and reviewing!


	4. 3rd Stop: The Calm Before The Storm Pt3

**OPrincess ShinigamiO** here!

Sorry for the delay! All I could say is that it was hell week; meaning lots of projects and exams, and spending several days without internet connection. I know, it sucks. :(

New trivia to take notice of:

1. My OC, Izumi Nakahara, is a twenty-four year old farmer boy who lives with his mother, Aya, and his younger sister, Miyoko, in a tiny cottage a few houses away from the Hyuugas' home. As described before, he has short silver-hair, hazel brown eyes, and a handsome baby-face, which he sort of dislikes because people tease him about it. He thinks that Hinata doesn't take him seriously because he's two years younger and still looks like a teenager, therefore there was a period when he tried to act as manly as possible. Unfortunately, he decided to give up and return to his normal cheerful persona after failing to impress the former heiress after a few years of attempts. He gets along very well with Yume and took very special care of her ever since she was a baby, although the same couldn't be said to the older male Hyuuga. Despite that, the two men respect each other in some ways. If Yume's biological uncle doesn't spoil her, then Izumi would do it in his stead.

Sometimes, he finds it disappointing that Yume would only call him Brother, and wishes that she could one day call him her Papa. There are times when he would try to make the child point out his good points in front of her mother, although for some reason her innocent obliviousness ruins it. How he'll get along with Sasuke, you'll have to see about that. ;) Aside from the romance, he will have a connection with a well-known character in this story.

2. This chapter will be the first appearance of the present, post-amnesia Sasuke, and the absence of Hinata in the chapter's whole duration. Neji will also take over half the chapter into his perspective. Other shippings will also be revealed here, and if you don't agree with them, then please refrain from flaming. As for the flashbacks about SasuHina's past romance, we will now accompany Sasuke along in learning each important build-up until the prologue's happenings.

3. If you are a Sakura-basher or a hardcore anti-SasuSaku, then this chapter might not be for you. To be honest, I'm actually not very fond of Sakura's character, she could really get in my nerves at times. But I know that her character's been slowly improving in the canon story, and it would just be plain dishonest for me to lower her character into some overly-dramatic, obsessed fangirl who'd immediately hate/bash on someone if the girl threatens her chances with Sasuke. I can see Karin doing that, but Sakura? Despite my dislike for her, I know that she's much more mature for that sort of thing.

As usual, I thank my reviewers, followers, and lurkers for giving me the motivation to continue this story! I hope that I won't be disappointing you guys any time soon, or hopefully ever!

**SaiHei, Guest 1 & 2:** Thank you so much! Please continue to support me and my story! :D

**Fujisan:** Don't worry. You're wishes shall be answered right now. ;)

**Guest 3:** Whoa! Thanks for that uber long review! (O_O) Haha, I'm that sort of person who likes having a child inherit something from his/her aunts or uncles. It strengthens the family bond ;) As for their cave situation, I don't think they could realistically survive in a bottled up cave for too long without oxygen to feed their lungs, hence the short first meeting. Haha, I don't exactly know how to feel if you're actually rooting for Umi to end up with Hinata, but I'm glad you like his character! As for Sakura... you could check out the trivia I posted above. :)

And so, let me present to you the next chapter of Masayume! Please enjoy! :D

* * *

_Masayume_

_…_

_3rd Stop_

_…_

_The Calm Before The Storm Pt. 3_

…

The dark-haired Uchiha slid open the entrance doors.

His left arm was wrapped up in a gray sling, the other balancing a bouquet of a dozen red roses while taking hold of the door handle.

The nurse in-charge of the patients' records for the day, looked up from her desk counter as the man entered the hospital's premises. Recognizing him immediately, the middle-aged woman gave him a knowing smile.

"Here to visit your girlfriend again, Uchiha-kun?"

"Fiancé." He corrected, gifting her with a respectful nod. "Which room?"

The nurse's gray eyes brightened. "Oh, that's right! I almost forgot, I heard you've proposed three days ago. Been Konoha's biggest news since that Nara kid married the Sand princess! Why, I've got to tell you, the whole village's-"

"Her room?" He interrupted her incessant blabbing.

"O-oh, right, right! Silly me. Give me a few seconds, Uchiha-kun."

He controlled the urge to roll his eyes. Of course, when you're dumb enough to allow Naruto to take the reigns and become the new Hokage, news like that's bound to spread like fire.

Not that he isn't proud of having his fiancé. It's been a long time since he wanted to show the world that she belonged to him and him alone. In fact, this wasn't the first time he's asked for her hand in marriage. The only reason they weren't married now was because his girlfriend still needed some time to adjust to her new responsibilities as chief medic of Konoha Hospital, in place of Tsunade.

She was the first person he woke up to, not to mention, the one who helped him recover the most ever since he lost his memories, and he'd love for her to be his last. She never gave up on him even when he was too stubborn or impatient to learn, and he would be forever grateful for that.

She helped him recover his memories, even though most of them still remained vague to him.

Especially about this one person, a girl he guessed.

For some strange reason, it seemed as if no one knew, or wanted to know, who this woman was, whether she was dead or not he would never know. Either they're pretending not to know, or she's just someone that he alone had met in the past. But he strongly leaned on the former, since it didn't escape his senses of how uncomfortable people began to act whenever he mentioned this foggy person.

He couldn't remember her name, her face, everything.

All he knew was that this girl kept reappearing in his dreams in a form of a blur, sitting in either what he guessed was a dark cave or the edge of a river, or just plainly standing in the middle of the rain. Always, her soft, air-like voice would whisper things he couldn't comprehend. But one thing he knew for certain was that it was no happy tune. If it were possible for voices to literally melt into tears, then that would've best described the way she spoke.

He shook his head. Whoever she was, whatever she used to mean to him, it didn't matter anymore.

He has someone else now, a real, existing person who loved him way before his memory loss and even before his betrayal, and no one, not even his mystery woman, could ever change his love for her.

He literally owed his whole life to her.

The nurse picked up a folder containing their hospital nurses' respective schedules and flipped through it until she found the letter "H".

"Ah, here we go. She's probably supervising the children's clinic at room 208. Second floor, on the right corridor, right beside the restroom." She said.

Nodding his head in thanks, he turned and headed for the stairs.

As he arrived on the right floor and stopped outside his destination, he paused by the door and watched his fiancé by the tiny glass window.

Inside, his pink-haired fiancé was carefully wrapping a bandage on a child's broken ankle, comforting him with stories about a brave ninja rescuing a princess from a bad monster and living happily ever after. Her shoulder-length, bubblegum pink hair was tied up into a small bun on the nape of her neck, and was dressed in the standard medic-nin's uniform attire.

"… And so, because he learned his lesson and never left his friends behind, the brave little ninja was able to defeat the evil monster, save the princess, and finally became a respected ninja in his village. And they lived happily ever after…" she finished with a smile as she secured the bandages' ends together.

After she was through, the child gave his nurse a thankful hug before being lifted up into his mother's arms. The mother smiled and thanked the kind nurse, the latter returning the thanks with a bow.

As the mother and child left the room, the pink-haired kunoichi grinned as she spotted her new fiancé waiting by the door with a bouquet of roses in one hand. Rubbing the small pink diamond ring on her finger, she silently watched with a soft smile as his dark eyes followed the happy mother and child.

"Wondering if you could ever have a life like that?" she asked jokingly as he walked into the room.

The Uchiha scoffed, pulling her into his arms and burying his dark head into her neck and taking in the subtle strawberry scent of her shampoo. "Only if you're the one mothering my child."

Sakura giggled as his warm breath tickled her neck. Surrounded in comfortable silence and with currently no patients or staff around, the couple stood there unmoving, arms wrapped around each other.

The pink-haired medic sighed contentedly. For years, she has dreamt of this peaceful kind of life, with Sasuke back in Konoha and finally reciprocating her irrevocable love for him. It definitely wasn't easy for her to teach him everything from scratch, and it was especially painful to see him so pressured to recover all his lost knowledge. It was mere luck that he was sort of a genius by nature.

Naruto, Kakashi, and the others often came by to help, but due to their busy schedules, it was usually left up to her to finish the job. And it especially wasn't easy that he still retained his stubborn, prideful streak, despite losing his memories.

She had taught him everything, from learning how to write his name to hearing the sad fate of his clan. The last part was probably one of the most difficult, as they feared of what his reaction might be depending on how they word it.

Surprisingly, he didn't take it too badly. He was a bit angry, of course as expected, but due to his memories still being a bit foggy, most especially the deepest, most traumatizing ones, he luckily didn't feel the pain as much as he did before.

That didn't mean his old personality didn't come back to light. Granted, he's less angry and a bit more patient and open to group invitations, but he still retained his stern, no-nonsense personality, and most especially his annoyance of the new orange-clad Hokage. Despite that, he still remained close with the Uzumaki, even tolerating him to the point of allowing him to pick their lunch destination for a week (It was in IchiRaku, of course. The Uchiha swore not to eat ramen for the rest of the year.)

It didn't take too long until everything went back as to how it was before.

Well, almost everything.

Her mood greatly dampening, she bit her lip guiltily as she recalled her missing Hyuuga friend. The last time she saw her, they were preparing for Sasuke's procedure. The pink-haired medic had never seen her meek friend cry so much as that day, silent yet overwhelmed with anguish.

She didn't exactly know the reason for her sudden departure, but she was one of the first who knew about her leaving. First, when the former heiress requested her to take care of him, of which the medic somehow recognized as some sort of subtle message, and then later the next day when she finally came back home from the successful procedure and was told by her mother that she's received a small letter from the night before.

The letter contained nothing but a single message.

"_I know I can trust you. So please help him live a better life."_

It wasn't difficult to guess who left the letter and of what it meant.

Immediately the next day, she heard news that the two Hyuuga cousins went missing for two nights in a row. No one, not even the Hyuuga clan, knew of their whereabouts. Tsunade, still Hokage at that time, was flooded with requests about sending search parties to find the pair.

But to all their surprise, it was the clan's leader, Hinata's father, who asked her to decline the search requests, claiming that the two were no longer part of their clan and were free to go wherever they want, since their clan already had another strong candidate as the clan's heiress anyway.

Some would call it cruelty for him disowning his daughter and nephew. But somehow, Sakura didn't believe it as such.

The day after the search parties were called off, the Hyuuga leader visited the medic in the hospital and insisted that not a word about his daughter was to be told to the last Uchiha. Even after all that's happened, he and the clan still disapproved of their affair, deeming it too dangerous for both the clan and his daughter. And with Sasuke losing his memories, this was the perfect chance to wipe out any history between them as if they've never met.

The kunoichi initially disapproved of this demand. But it took a private talk with Naruto, Kakashi, and Sasuke and Hinata's respective teammates to help her make a final decision.

It would be much too painful to bear for the Uchiha if he knew about his beloved leaving him to die.

Still, even after all these years, no one knew of the cousins' whereabouts. Tenten, of which she suspected had some sort of past with the Hyuuga prodigy, had moved on and married two years ago with a fellow ANBU member.

There were moments when her ever-so-sunny teammate would turn solemn and ponder about sending a search party to find his ex-girlfriend, ever since he was instated as Hokage. But it never gets through for some reason.

Hinata's teammates never stopped searching for her, at least, secretly they don't. During missions, they'd always make it a point to try to finish them early just to spend time looking for clues. When they don't, they try to travel as much as they can to see if they could find her or Neji's tracks. Even after one of them's already married and their search efforts began to dwindle down, they never truly gave up hope that their teammate and her cousin were still alive.

Whatever the case, it made her feel a bit guilty for not telling her ignorant fiancé anything about his missing Hyuuga lover. Not even after he mentioned about her repeatedly popping up in his dreams.

If by some miracle Hinata and Neji finally turned up and returned to Konoha, the medic wasn't entirely sure of how to feel about that.

Of course, she'd be happy to welcome her friends back. But it was Sasuke's past love for Hinata that made Sakura fear for her return. If his memories were suddenly triggered by her return, and his feelings for the Hyuuga would burst open from its cage again, the pink-haired kunoichi would have absolutely no idea what to do.

Should she fight for his love, the love of which she has sought after for so many years, even if it were his lover who specifically requested her to take care of him in her absence? Or should she just let him go and allow them to freely live happily ever after like they're supposed to?

"You're awfully quiet today." His deep voice cut through her thoughts. "Kinda depressing for some reason."

Aggressively shaking her head to cease her doubtful thinking, the medic forced a smile on her face.

"I-it's nothing, Sasuke-kun! I-I was just… thinking…"

Pulling away, the Uchiha, raised an eyebrow. "Of what?"

Turning her emerald green orbs down to his left arm, she smirked as she poked his bandaged sling. "Of how much I should warn you about being more careful next time. Really, Sasuke-kun." She gave a tiny exasperated sigh. "I really don't know what gotten into you when you accidentally tripped on top of a tree and earned yourself a broken arm. You shouldn't' be so distracted."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "If there's anyone to blame, it was that rookie Chuunin who accidentally tripped on my back and thus-" he raised his slinged arm slightly. "-this is the result of being teamed up with an idiot."

"Now, Sasuke-kun." Sakura huffed, crossing her arms together and giving a half-scolding face. "Konohamaru isn't a rookie anymore. I'm sure he didn't mean it."

"Tch, he's exactly like that dobe." He muttered. "Figures that he looks up to an idiot as his personal goal in life."

"You still call him an idiot after he's finally achieved his dream of becoming Hokage?"

"You still do." He retorted.

Sakura chuckled lightly. "Maybe, but only because he still acts pretty brashly at times…"

…

_Two nights ago_

…

"_SHANNAROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"_

"_W—W-WAIT, Sakura-chan! I d-didn't mean to interrupt the perfect moment of your super secret engagement dinner with Sasuke-teme! HONES-AAAAAAAAGHH!"_

…

…

Sakura flipped her hand with a not-so-innocent grin, as if shooing an annoying fly.

"Anyway, Sasuke-kun, about these…" she pointed at the bouquet of roses. "Didn't you just give the same roses yesterday and the day before? The whole week, actually."

Sasuke shrugged. "Does it really matter if I like giving my fiancé flowers?"

The kunoichi bit her lip, trying to suppress a smile. Even after all this time, she still wasn't used to her fiancé acting so sweet towards her.

Well, in an in-denial sort of fashion anyway.

"Well, not really. But the roses tend to be a little bit overused, especially when my apartment's all flooded with them. Mom and Dad weren't too happy to see the clutter when they visited. Maybe you should ask Ino for tips next time, get to know a little bit about all kinds of flowers."

The former avenger scowled at the thought of asking the loud Yamanaka for help. There was absolutely no way he's inquiring her about flowers, most especially since she happens to be Konoha's number one gossip machine. Not to mention, those weird glares her canine husband gives him.

Not that it scares him, but it does get in his nerves a lot especially when he doesn't even recall doing anything too unforgivable to him.

Suddenly, a mass of blurriness fogged his vision. Images began popping in and out of his head like a kaleidoscope.

The confused man froze, dropping the bouquet of roses into the cold floor. His eyebrows dipped into a hard frown.

A girl was kneeling in a flower garden, looking at him whilst holding a thin lavender plant near its bush. Her long, dark-colored hair was tied in a low side ponytail on the nape of her slender pale neck. Her eyes, they were all kinds of blurry, but they reminded him eerily of the moon. Her soft, pink lips were shaped in an amused smile and moved as if speaking to him.

"… _Sasuke-kun…"_

"Sasuke-kun?"

As quick as that, the images disappeared completely, and he was back to square one again.

His fiancé's emerald green hues appeared in his line of vision, her eyebrows slanting in worry. "Are you alright, Sasuke-kun? Is your head hurting again?" she asked as she placed a hand on his pale forehead.

He closed his eyes as he leaned his weight on his uninjured arm on the table; relaxing at the warmth her hand gave him.

"No, not really. It… was nothing."

No, it was actually throbbing painfully at the moment, as if his brain was a ticking time bomb. But it was starting to go away anyway, so there's no point in worrying her.

The medic placed her hands on her hips firmly, her eyes hardening in warning.

"Sasuke-kun, I've nurtured you back to tip top shape for the last six years. I think I have every right intuition to know that you're not telling the truth."

The dark-haired man frowned darkly as he clenched his uninjured fist on top of the table. "… It was her again."

He didn't fail to notice the pink-haired kunoichi freeze at the mention of his mystery woman. It was always like that.

"… A-And?" she shakily asked.

"She… This time, she's in a garden… full of … purple flowers?" He closed his eyes tightly, trying his best to recall back the images. But all he could see now was a soft blur of a woman's shadow illuminated by the blinding sunlight.

Pushing away from the table, he took his half-frightened fiancé's hands into his own. "This is bullshit. Maybe I'm just imagining my mother. I can recall slightly that she used to have a garden in our manor."

The kunoichi slowly nodded, plastering a smile that did not reach her eyes.

"Y-yeah. M-maybe… maybe that's it." She whispered, slightly in reassurance of herself.

She hated lying to him. But she had to keep reminding herself over and over that this was for his own good.

Wasn't it?

"SASUKE!"

A swift blur of red suddenly whizzed by and pounced onto the dark-haired man, deliberately stepping onto the bouquet of roses on the ground and wrapping her arms around his uninjured arm, much to his annoyance.

His fiancé, however, already had half the mind to knock the flirt out of the window and into oblivion, cracking her knuckles together while plastering a dark, forced smile as she watched the redhead cling possessively to her fiancé.

"… Karin… what… the hell… do you think… you're doing… to MY fiancé?" she muttered dangerously.

"Psh, whatever." Karin stuck out her tongue. "As if you didn't used to cling on him all the time. Don't deny it. I've got reliable sources to support my statement."

"Ino…" Sakura cracked her fingers slowly, forcing herself to calm down and act more professionally, albeit failing miserably.

For some strange reason, ever since Team Taka decided to settle down in Konoha, the Uzumaki descendant and the Yamanaka-turned-Inuzuka had formed a friendship of some sorts that even Sakura couldn't understand. Maybe it was their mutual grudge against the cherry blossom for taking Sasuke away?

Or maybe it was just their way of having fun; aka irritating the cherry blossom to death.

Anyway, Sakura would rather die than admit that she was a tiny bit jealous of their closeness.

"Karin, get off me." Sasuke demanded in a straight tone, shrugging his arm off his teammate's tight hold and earning a pout from the redhead and a proud inner "cha!" from the pink-haired medic. "What're you doing here anyway?"

The chakra-sensitive kunoichi huffed and crossed her arms together. "What? So I'm not allowed to work in the hospital anymore?"

Since three years ago, the redhead's abilities were finally put into good use in Konoha's hospital, after she had to sign several contracts from the elders and the ANBU to swear that she wouldn't kill anyone and that any patient dead in her hands were not made intentional.

Of course, it took a few months of supervision from the wary medics and the ANBU to prove her sincerity before she could finally replenish her patients in peace.

"He means," Sakura cut in, gritting her teeth together. "Why are you here, interrupting a moment, when you're supposed to be delivering health reports to the Hokage right now?"

"Oh, you were having a moment? It looked pretty depressing to me."

"Karin…."

The redhead smirked, flipping her long messy hair behind her shoulder. Even though it sucked that the object of her obsession was already taken for and would never return her feelings, the exchange bonus of irritating the bubblegum princess instead was almost worth it.

"Hokage's asking for you." She informed Sasuke. "Says he's got a mission that needs to be done asap."

The dark-haired man sighed. Not that he didn't want the job; in fact he really needed a work out ever since he was given a weeklong break for breaking his arm.

It's just that it meant that he's no longer spending the whole weekend moving his fiance's things into his apartment.

"I'd better go see the idiot."

Sakura smiled, giving him a small peck on the cheek. "Our first weekend celebration as a newly-engaged couple would have to wait. Tell Naruto to not give you a long, stressful one or he's gonna hear from me. And your arm still needs a little time."

The Uchiha smirked. "In your dreams."

Giving her one last private smile, the Uchiha left the two kunoichis alone and headed for the Hokage's building.

"… So. He gave you roses again? How lame. You must be a rea~lly boring person to think of a present for."

A tic throbbed on the pink medic's large forehead.

"GODDAMMIT GET BACK TO WORK!"

…

The Hyuuga prodigy leisurely took a stroll around the village's bustling market alone that noon. Slung behind his tattooed shoulder was a pack of ninja tools that he frequently used for training himself in the empty fields.

Despite their peaceful environment, it was still best to remain prepared for anything.

Hinata was at the Nakahara family's place, helping them plan for Yume's sixth birthday party that's to occur four days later. Yume was still having classes at their local kindergarten school.

Although he enjoyed having his boisterous niece for company, it was nice to have some peace and quiet on his own without having to watch over someone else.

He had to admit, he was very doubtful at first when his then pregnant cousin decided to settle into the tiny Hachi village in the hills of the Land of Honey, mostly because it's location's fairly open to any sorts of sudden attacks.

But it was here that he began appreciating his new sense of freedom.

First of all, no one was keeping a watchful eye on your every move. Second, there's not much danger to be overly cautious about unless if you consider thieves who're desperate for the land's special "youth-restoring" honey. Might Guy would've definitely wanted a taste of that if he ever heard of the legend.

And third, no one expects you to do great life-changing things.

There's a limit to everything, even for an overly patient, near-perfect genius like him.

In short, no Hyuuga Clan, no threat to the villagers, and most of all, no one cares about your past reputation for as long as you don't do them or the village any harm.

The Hyuuga drew in the cool, fresh air, sighing heavily at the relaxing atmosphere. The marketplace was quite small and not too crowded, thanks to the tiny population of the provincial village. Buying groceries here was so much better compared to the human traffic back at Konoha.

"_She would've loved it here."_ He thought to himself as he spotted old man Maki polish his shurikens at his tiny weapons stall whilst whistling a happy tune before waving at his favorite customer. He recalled back then during their old training sessions almost seven years ago of how his feisty teammate would sometimes openly express her wish to get away from everything.

…

…

"_Well, sure, I love being a ninja. Wouldn't have these babies if I didn't." _

_She lazily twirled a heavy three-headed flail as she leaned on a wooden target post and looked up dreamily at the blue sky. _

"_But still, it wouldn't hurt once in awhile to just flutter away where the wind tells you to. Oh, don't give me that look, Neji. You know exactly what I mean."_

_She clicked her tongue, rolling her eyes at her serious companion, who raised a curious eyebrow at her statement, before tapping a finger on her chin._

"_Maybe we should get away sometime. Like for a vacation or something. Somewhere that's full of trees and grass and surrounded by Mother Nature-"_

"_Is Konoha not already as you've described?" Lee asked in confusion, looking around the thick forests outside their village fences._

_The weapon mistress snapped her head towards him with an irritated scowl._

"_I meant the more rural areas, Lee. As in, places with less cement, smaller eco-friendly buildings and no unnecessary electricity. Like the hills, valleys or heck the mountains. Whatever. Or at least places that don't have ninjas scurrying about attempting life-threatening missions that don't always bloody go their way. Gee-whiz, genius, go figure."_

_The real genius watched his spunky teammate thoughtfully as she leaped back, took out a scroll and summoned a barrage of flying kunais onto the target posts. _

_All of them hit inside their respective target circles perfectly._

_Their green-garbed teammate scratched his bowl-cut hair in an even more baffled manner, letting out a hesitant "I see…" before humming softly while rubbing his chin._

"_What if…" he left out, earning both his teammates' attentions._

"_What if what, Lee?"_

"… _What if hypothetically, you are to meet a man from one of your 'Mother Nature' villages, and you somehow befriend and fall in love with him-"_

"_This country guy better be some hot shtick."_

_The Hyuuga frowned irritably as he watched the female's lips lift up ever so slightly while imagining her dream man._

"_-But this man happens to not be a ninja, say, a regular farmer working in a field. And if you two are about to embark on the most youthful beginnings of marriage, you would have to give up working as a shinobi, even your weapon collecting, and move to his 'more rural' village. Would you allow such a thing to happen?" The green beast finished with an uncharacteristic beam, his abnormally thick eyebrow darting up in curiosity._

_The kunoichi tapped a finger continuously on her left cheek, her brown eyes looking up as she weighed her options in her head._

"… _I don't think it would be wise to give up everything you've worked hard for your whole life just to please someone you deem to love." Neji suggested, crossing his arms together as he waited for the bunhead to give her answer. _

"_I agree with Neji. I mean it would be absolutely terrible to just throw away all that I've learned for the past several years. And there's just no way I'm giving up my weapon collection just because some guy doesn't like girls with sharp edges! There would've been no point into pursuing me."_

_The Hyuuga smirked smugly as she voiced out her agreement, only to find out that she actually wasn't finished yet._

"… _But if that guy proves that he really is worth all the trouble, then I don't think it's entirely impossible for me to give up my whole ninja career, as long as I made the decision myself and the situation calls for it. Who knows? It really depends on whoever that certain someone would be."_

_For a second, her chocolate brown eyes flicked towards her teammates' white ones before plastering a grin and slapping Lee's back with humor._

"_But that's probably never going to happen. Besides, I have all the great guys I need right here."_

_She suddenly pulled both of her startled teammates together into a tight embrace, grinning at the two men with appreciation. _

_Lee gave out a cheery "Yosh!" accompanied by a fist pump before he wrapped an arm around their only flower's shoulder._

"_No matter what happens or how far apart our paths may lead us, our youthful team shall forever remain together in harmony in our hearts!"_

"_Haha, no way I'm contradicting that!"_

_The Hyuuga's eyes widened in astonishment as the laughing weapon mistress boldly gave both men a peck on their cheeks. _

_Noticeably, her soft lips pressed onto his pale cheek a little bit longer than the one she gave Lee. _

_Pulling away, the kunoichi smiled softly at her awed teammate before turning away and asking the green beast for another bout of sparring._

_It was then and there that the Hyuuga genius first found out how mesmerizing her deep brown eyes were._

…

…

"It's too late for regrets now."

The Hyuuga's eyebrows dipped slightly as he observed the cloudy sky, lifting a hand up as he felt the tiny drops of rain touch his fingers. He then walked towards a small open teashop for shelter. As he bought himself some warm jasmine tea and rested on a bench under the shop's roof, he lifted his white eyes to the darkening sky in reminiscence.

It was his decision to accompany Hinata and leave everything behind, including his clan and her. He knew the consequences of his choice, but still, his loyalty to his cousin would always come first.

Tenten was right; the possibility of giving up everything all depends on who they treasure the most.

He took in the tea's aroma, inevitably recalling the last time he saw her. The two of them had passed the entrance test and were finally admitted into the ANBU. In celebration, Team Guy decided to have a private party at the Barbe-Q.

She ordered a pot of white jasmine tea that day.

One hour afterwards, Sasuke was ill timingly admitted to the hospital as his failing condition began to overwhelm him for good.

He knew about the ultimatum given to the Hyuuga heiress in exchange for the higher chance of the Uchiha's survival, and somehow, he had a feeling that he didn't have much time left to spend with the weapon mistress.

When his cousin finally had the strength to leave Sasuke in the hospital and went home to secretly prepare for their escape, he pulled Tenten away from the crowd and brought her to their usual training spot, telling her that they needed an excuse to distract themselves from the somber situation.

Leaving their respective ANBU masks onto the ground, they began their last spar together.

…

"_You're surprisingly more depressing than usual, Neji Your defenses aren't quite impenetrable."_

"_I'm merely worried about Hinata-sama's feelings."_

"_She'll be fine. And besides, I thought you didn't like Sasuke?"_

"_I don't. I despise him for allowing Hinata-sama to feel this much pain."_

"_And yet, you're also grateful that he's one of the only few people who truly makes her happy."_

"…"

"… _Neji?"_

"… _I'm just… afraid."_

"_THE Hyuuga genius is afraid? Now that's something I haven't heard."_

"… _Of what happens next."_

"_Hey, you're kinda scaring me right now. What's that supposed to mean?"_

"_Things will change after this ordeal, whether Sasuke survives or not. I… we might never…"_

"…"

"…"

"… _This is some sort of goodbye, isn't it?"_

"… _Yes."_

…

He wasn't exactly sure of how she knew. Maybe it was his words, fueled by his actions. Or maybe she knew much earlier when Hinata protruded some sort of finality as she walked away from the doors.

But despite everything, she never cried or complained about his decision. He didn't know whether she understood, she merely gave him a small bittersweet smile before replacing her red and white deer mask and leaving him alone with only his thoughts.

When she and Lee came by the Hyuuga compound later on to inform Hinata of the procedure's current status, she was a good enough actress to hide her disappointment from their earlier meeting, which remained unknown to their oblivious teammate. But her dark, chocolate brown eyes pointedly avoided his white ones, disheartening him, as he might never see those same eyes again.

Her deeply mysterious eyes, full of unexpressed feelings that he may never know now.

When the pair turned to leave, she never once looked back at him. That was her final farewell to him.

Until now, he hasn't heard a single word about her. There were rarely any Konoha nins passing by the village, and even so, she wasn't exactly a celebrity.

Many things could happen in six years. It's possible that she's found that certain someone of whom she could willingly give up her career for, maybe she even moved away from Konoha in order to marry that person.

Imagining that fact still left a bitter taste in his mouth. But it's not like she's bound to him forever. In fact, they've never even outwardly shown or voiced out their feelings.

Maybe it was a good thing they didn't. It would be a bit more painful to accept the separation if they did.

But he had to take care of his cousin no matter what. It was a vow he had made to himself and his father's spirit, and he's not breaking that vow any time in the future.

Of course, he knew that his cousin could handle things on her own. She has proven herself countless of times that she was capable of becoming a great leader, even to the extent of earning back her original position as the Hyuuga Clan's first-in-line heiress. She wasn't a little girl anymore.

But she has a child with her. With a father who might as well be dead.

His expression darkened as he recalled the dreary, thunderous day when his cousin found out that she was carrying the Uchiha's child.

Back before they left Konoha, the genius already had his suspicions that the meek heiress had secretly spent the night with the former avenger when he found out that she lied about sleeping over at Kurenai's place. But he had no idea that things would ultimately lead her to having a daughter.

At first he was hesitant to accept the tiny newborn because her birth was accidental and not in the right timing. Not to mention the daughter of the last vengeful Uchiha, who's nearly on top of his practice target list, especially after leaving Hinata to suffer alone in parenthood even though it was by no means intentional.

But looking into her then gray heterochromic eyes, filled with pure innocence and held a curious sort of wisdom, he couldn't help but find himself falling for her.

Yume was a far cry from her brooding father, yet more impeccable than her gentle mother.

Her eyes, they reminded him somewhat of that one woman he left behind.

The only woman he could probably admit to falling in love with.

Just as the light rain stopped and the clouds began to make way for the sun to shine again, the Hyuuga settled down his unfinished tea and sighed as he chided himself for being so melancholic.

"It's nearly Yume-sama's sixth birthday. There's no room to brood over the past." He said to himself as he stood up from the bench. His lips lifted ever so slightly as he reminisced his beloved niece's massive excitement the night before when she showed off her new pink plastic sword to her mother.

Seeing the look on her face, his cousin was probably not too happy with him spoiling her daughter too much. But what kind of uncle would he be if he didn't want to see his niece's bright smile?

Chuckling, he left the store and began walking back the path he took in the marketplace. Since Tuesdays are usually his turn to pick Yume up from school, it was best that he went home as early as now to shower up and change before his niece found out about his training.

As much as possible, her mother tries to forbid the child from learning to become a shinobi, although it's partly in vain as she naturally has the combined blood and will of two strong ninja lines. Not only would it endanger Yume, but her mother also fears that she might possibly abuse her abilities with the people she's most impatient with, most especially Haru, the spoiled fat son of one of the richest families in the Land of Honey, who doesn't leave out a chance to bully the smaller kids and boast about the new toys his father gives him nearly every week.

The last part was probably the biggest reason why he and Yume don't get along.

Despite that, the Hyuuga cousins frequently gave the little girl some basic self-defense, in order to protect herself from harm. Although in his eyes, he found it quite a shame to limit the child's natural talent in the art of ninjutsu.

Grudgingly, the older Hyuuga also occasionally taught Izumi some basic taijutsu in case he's the only one left to defend the child.

Surprisingly, the young man was quite a quick-learner, not to mention very eager to learn more. If he weren't living in a small province, he would've done well in Konoha or in other shinobi-concentrated countries.

And he has a mighty strong feeling that that was exactly his part-time student's secret dream.

The Hyuuga sighed. Maybe he should lighten up towards the silver-haired lad. After all, he and his family have treated Hinata, Yume, and himself so well for the past six years.

Maybe he should give a present as a means of a peace offering.

He could just see it now; Izumi would no doubt suspect the gift as some sort of time bomb that would blow up on his face when he opens it.

"And what could I get you, young lady?"

"I haven't seen these golden dragon-embellished spiked nunchucks for ages! I've been dying to get my hands on these things ever since I was a little kid!"

He froze as he heard a familiar voice echoing from Maki's stall.

"Ohoho, these babies! It was such a long time ago when a grumpy young Iwa-nin left these nunchucks behind after taking refuge here during the Second War. Ah, the good old days when ninjas would randomly pop in and out and leave their tools behind. Nowadays, you spoilsport ninjas are a lot more careful with your belongings."

"I think I'm taking that as a compliment. How much for the nunchucks? Please please PLEASE tell me it's not over a thousand ryo!"

He could recognize that voice anywhere, especially when it rang with sheer excitement. Slowly, he turned his head towards the stall's direction.

In front of old man Maki stood a brunette woman in ANBU clothing with a giant scroll slung diagonally on her back, carefully clutching a pair of golden spiked nunchucks in her hands. Her dark brown hair was tied up in a pair of high buns, and even though her back was facing him, he could see the camouflage strings behind her head, implying that she was wearing a mask.

The old man guffawed as he scratched his balding head. "Ohoho, I can tell that you, young lady, are no ordinary customer. No female shinobi has ever shown that much interest in collecting rare ninja tools. You are very interesting indeed. And for that, I'm lowering this rare item's price into seven hundred and fifty ryo."

"Again, I'm taking that as a compliment. You've got yourself a deal!" the bunhead was practically jumping up and down in excitement as she paid for the nunchucks and nearly hugged them to her chest before deciding that she still valued her life.

Swinging her giant scroll from her back and poofing the nunchucks into thin air, the female ANBU kindly thanked old man Maki afterwards and began to walk away from the stall when she suddenly froze as her concealed eyes met his all too familiar white orbs.

"Tenten?"

Slowly and hesitantly, she lifted a hand on her mask and shakily pulled it down, uncovering the stunned, slightly matured face of his estranged female teammate.

For the first time in ages, her deep, mesmerizing eyes have finally revealed themselves to him again.

"… N.. Neji?"

…

_Meanwhile in Konoha_

…

"So let me get this straight. Your so-called emergency for needing my talents and skills is just to help some incompetent group of ANBU escort our "most-esteemed" Fire Daimyou to a meeting in Iwa because you think that someone's stupid enough to plan an ambush against them?"

The Uchiha scowled at the blonde Hokage, half-hoping that the fire in his eyes would literally burn his best frenemy to tiny bits. "I refuse."

"But Sasuke-!" The orange jinchuriki whined, rubbing both his tanned hands together in slight desperation. "You're the only one left that I could depend on! Shikamaru's still helping out Gaara in Suna, and Kakashi-sensei, Yamato-sensei, and Sai are currently doing some undercover missions in the Land of Snow that I just couldn't pull them out of. All the other candidates for the job are already unavailable because of other assignments! Besides, with your Sharingan, you could just easily wrap this all up in a flash!"

"I appreciate my apparent status as a mere last choice backup." Sasuke sarcastically muttered. "I still refuse."

Naruto groaned, slamming his head on his paperwork-loaded desk, which effectively sent some neat stacks flying. Turning his head sidewards, the jinchuriki pouted and glared childishly at the former avenger.

"Is it because I ruined your engagement dinner with Sakura-chan three days ago? Geez, I said I was sorry! I already told you that it was all Kiba's fault! He pushed me-!"

"I don't care about your flimsy excuses. But thanks to you, all my plans this weekend… spent alone with my _new fiancé… _are now drained down in the dumps. Well, that is, if I accept this tacky mission, which I won't." He smirked sardonically as the blonde gave a muffled wail.

"Aw come on, teme! Can't you do your buddy this itty bitty favor! I just need-… Waitasec, why am I even begging for your help?"

The young Hokage slammed his fists on the desk, attempting to plaster a hard expression onto his face. His bright blue eyes narrowed relentlessly at his nonchalant friend's dark onyx ones.

"I'm the Hokage, dammit. You can't defy my orders!"

"Whoever considered you into this position must've been hit pretty hard on the head."

"Funny you're saying that…"

His dark eyes narrowed at the blonde, who threw his arms up in exasperation before settling back down in his seat and begging the Uchiha through his big, glassy eyes.

"You realize you're asking a person with an injured arm, right?"

"Psh, I'll take my chances! I know that broken arms won't stop you from doing a great job."

"You're really that desperate?"

The blonde Hokage clapped his hands together and squeezed his eyes shut as if in prayer.

"PLEASE, teme! The ANBU team I sent three days ago has been sending me several reports about continuous attempts against the Fire Daimyou's life. If you could just follow their tracks, accompany the team for a short while and see if you could find some clues to check if all these attacks aren't just coincidences, that's all I'm asking you to do! If you don't do it, then the elders and councilmen would definitely eat my head off again!"

"You think they'd trust me with the Daimyou's life?"

"They specifically recommended you actually. Please, Sasuke, for a poor old friend like me!"

The Uchiha sighed heavily, rubbing his head in frustration. He could care less about one Daimyou's life. In fact, he'd find it quite welcoming to subtract the number of selfish, useless old bags in this world.

Seriously, who chooses their Daimyous?

He scoffed. Greedy rich people, of course.

But well, he did need the workout.

Maybe he needed to give Naruto a break too. After all, he does have a lot of pressure and responsibilities shoved onto his shoulders.

He hated being such a goody-goody.

"… Tch, fine. But only because I need to stretch my arms and legs." He grudgingly lifted his arm sling. "Literally."

Immediately beaming and his blue eyes turning glassy with relief, the blonde Hokage jumped and nearly tackled his best friend in a hug, only for the latter to quickly dodge away in visible annoyance, causing him to crash on the wall face-first.

"No ramen for the next five months."

Leaving the moaning dobe to slide on the ground, the Uchiha left his office and went on his way to his apartment.

He stared at his healing arm as he passed by the Academy.

He'll have to apologize to Sakura for not helping with moving her stuff into his apartment. But he knew that she could always ask Ino or the others to help out anyway.

He sighed as he pulled out the gray sling and unraveled the bandages before test stretching his arm. It looked pretty good to him.

Satisfied, he placed both hands into his pockets as he neared his apartment. If Naruto and even the drab old council members had that much confidence in his capabilities, then he might be able to complete this mission quickly.

Who knows? Maybe something interesting might actually happen during this mission.

"Tch, as if…"

…

_Four Days Later_

…

"_Hina-Mama! Look! Daddy's come back!"_

"_Now, Yume. You know I don't like hearing lie-"_

_Lavender white and dark onyx finally reunited once again._

"_I… f-finally… found y-you…"_

_A ceramic teapot crashed on the wooden floor._

…

…

* * *

Now now, all shall be explained in time ;)

Thanks for reading and please leave a review or two for the needy!


	5. 4th Stop: The Premonition

**OPrincess ShinigamiO **here!

Posted a little later than scheduled, so I apologize to those who expected a chapter to come out earlier. I'm just in a terrible mood lately, after having issues regarding school and my constant irresponsible habits. But I always have to keep reminding myself that no matter how repetitive my mistakes are, we're only human and it's not the end of the world yet. Besides, sometimes feeling fear is better than being happy all the time, healthier even.

If in any way my lack of enthusiasm is shown in the chapter, I'm really sorry. This chapter is going to be filled with lots of scenery changes so I apologize in advance if you get confused. This was also supposed to be a little longer, but I just didn't feel like completing it into its original length. I'll try my best to post the next chapter quicker, if only to keep my motivation for this story going strong.

_Trivia:_

1. As mentioned before, Neji and Tenten are ANBU. Until now, they are the only ones in their batch who vied or qualified the elite rank.

2. Hachi Village is only a quarter of the Land of Honey's property. I'm not exactly sure where the Land of Honey is located since it was never really expanded on in the anime, but some say that its located in the Southern part of the Narutoverse. It will therefore make things a little confusing since the Fire Daimyou was supposed to be heading towards Iwagakure, which is northwest (okay, Kardashian baby anyone?) of the Land of Fire. But let's just say that the Daimyou had business to do somewhere Southeast before the Daimyous' Meeting place in Iwa was announced, and therefore their current direction before ending up taking refuge in Hachi Village.

Replies to My Reviewers:

**HaibaraAiFan, Saihei, and the rest of the guests:** Thank you very much for enjoying and taking the time to review~! :D

**LeeRocks:** It has been implied that NaruHina had a short romance, yes. I understand your story preferences, but Izumi will be an OC who'll be showing up a lot. If you still have the motivation to read despite OC characters (don't worry, the rest are just pretty minor), then the answers to the rest of your questions will come eventually. :)

**princess p:** I'm actually quite fond of Vanness. :P Compared back to Meteor Garden, he got a lot more handsome in Autmun's Concerto. Hopefully you'd be able to finish the drama. :) And no, the explanation for Hinata's departure was never fully explained. Yet. :)

**Blind Admirer:** Oh no no no. Your long reviews actually make me feel really good about my story. :D I'm glad that the last chapter gave you so many feels that you just had to rant it all out. I'm sorry if I can't give you a lengthy reply back, but I want you to know that your enthusiasms are very much appreciated here. ;)

**Guest #5 (I think...):** I'm sorry, are you ACTUALLY bashing canon Hinata in your review? If you're looking for a story which heavily praises Sakura and ends happily for SasuSaku, then I believe you're in the wrong category. I appreciate you taking your time to read, but your review and enthusiasm is in the wrong place. I'd like it if you'd continue reading FOR the SasuHina pairing, NOT SasuSaku or any Hinata-bashing. But if you are offended by this, then I'm sorry but I can't do anything about that.

I would like to remind people that no flaming/bashing/trolling will be tolerated in my fanfiction. If you are here to see Hinata or Sasuke shrivel up and die alone while the other ends up happy with someone else, then you have to get your facts straight and go check other stories with the Angst/Horror genre, or check out other characters' categories. To put it bluntly, hate the pairing? Get out of this ship. :(

Back on the bright side, I'm glad to find that this story has received more than half over 2000 views as of late! Please continue to support me by reviewing and following this story! :D Help me keep the SasuHina fire going strong!

* * *

_Masayume_

…

_4__th__ Stop_

…

_The Premonition_

…

"…_N.. Neji?"_

_He didn't know how his feet led him to her or why he had the gall to reveal himself to her after all the effort he and Hinata did to avoid their old comrades._

_All he knew was that her voice suddenly rang into his ears, shrill yet alluring like a chime, and the next thing he knew, he's staring deep into her beautiful melting brown eyes._

_Only this time, her wide orbs were quite easy for him to read._

_Frozen as they were, he didn't need his Kekkei Gekkai to see that they were swirling in a mixture of utmost shock, confusion, anger, happiness, relief…_

_Fear?_

_Oh, how he missed these eyes._

"_N-Neji? I-If you're here, living here this whole time… then, then Hinata-?"_

_Swiftly yet gently, his large calloused hand covered her smaller one._

"_Come with me."_

'_Forgive me, Hinata-sama.'_

_It seemed that the moment of truth was getting closer and closer by the day._

…

…

"Hell no. Not the twerp again."

"Hey, I resent that, you know!"

"Um, you guys?"

Kotetsu and Izumo nervously looked back and forth at the glaring pair standing in front of Konoha's entrance gates, uncomfortable at the deadly aura oozing out of the Uchiha.

Across him, the twenty-three year old Chuunin, clad with a long blue scarf around his neck, pouted and crossed his arms together as he scowled at the broody man.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the slightly shorter shinobi. "Go tell Naruto to give you another job, because there's no way I'm going on another one with someone who loves attracting trouble."

"Hey hey, I don't like this any more than you do." Konohamaru retorted. "But Naruto-nii told me that you needed an escort in case anything happens, and I'm the only one you've got. Deal with it, Sa-su-ke-san."

"Oi, you're blocking the gateway you know." Izumo mumbled, cowering slightly as the Uchiha's dark orbs turned threateningly to him. He turned his attention back at the younger ninja.

"I don't like being held up babysitting some rookie Chuunin. You do remember the last time we had a mission together, right?" He raised his left arm in emphasis.

"Hey, I told you I was sorry! It was an accident! Besides, it wasn't anything serious, so I don't get why you're so hung up on-!"

"Hey hey hey, what's this?"

Sasuke sighed in frustration as the grinning swordsman accompanied by the calm giant headed towards them.

Great, just another nuisance to ruin his day.

First, he wasn't able to say his goodbyes to Sakura because she had to work on an emergency surgery early that morning, then he found out last-minute that he's supposed to work with the irritating and oh-so-conspicuous Naruto-the-second, and now this.

"Suigetsu." He warned.

"What? I didn't even say anything." The water-nin clicked his tongue as twirled the water bottle in his hand before eyeing the shorter man beside him. "Wait, wasn't he the idiot who broke your arm during your last mission?"

"Hey! I'm right here, you know!" Konohamaru flailed his arms childishly as the swordsman deliberately ignored him. "And I keep telling you, it was just an accident, dammit!"

"Psh, annoying midget. Good luck with this one, Sasuke. Break a leg. Or an arm or two." Suigetsu chortled at his own pun before slapping his leader's back hard, with a sardonic grin no less. Inconspicuously, his hand easily slipped in and out of his backpack, replacing his water bottle with Sasuke's jug before quickly sliding it behind his back.

"Good luck." Juugo simply bowed his head towards him.

"Thanks, I'll need it." He shrugged his backpack snuggly on his back and began swiftly moving outside Konoha's gate.

"H-Hey, wait for me!" Konohamaru exclaimed before quickly following the Uchiha into the forest.

The remaining Team Taka members just stood there as they watched the pair disappear completely into the trees.

Eventually, the orange-haired giant turned his eyes towards the snickering swordsman.

"Did you just-?"

"Hehe, yep. He's gotten a lot rustier ever since he got his brains back." His sharp-toothed grin widened mischievously.

Juugo shook his head in exasperation. "You should stop with the pranks, Suigetsu. It's becoming an unhealthy obsession."

Suigetsu plastered an exaggerated, taken aback look.

"What? They're harmless. Sort of. Besides, it's getting boring here a lot lately in this do-gooders town. I knew I should've left for the Mist ages ago."

"Yet you're still here."

"It's no fun annoying people who'd put you straight to jail just for "attempted murder" when you're only kidding around. Besides, seeing your irritated faces when you guys see me are much more worth it."

"Your new hobby is very much underappreciated."

The swordsman stuck his tongue out and shrugged before turning away from the gates, carelessly twirling the stolen water jug by its strap.

"Come on. Let's see if we can annoy Karin during her breaks."

"You're unbelievable."

As the pair left, Kotetsu and Izumo looked at each other in utter confusion.

"… This is going to be a bad day, isn't it?"

"I knew there was a reason why I hated this job."

…

_Some time later_

…

A sigh escaped Sasuke's lips.

"Suigetsu. I should've known."

As they stopped outside the Land of Fire's premises to take a break, the Uchiha managed to discover his teammate's suspicious water bottle that replaced his water jug in his travelling pack.

Right away, he knew from experience that this bottle of his held no such ordinary liquid. For all he knew, it might be one of those itching poisons again, of which he luckily excused himself from after he became cautious of the strange scent coming out of his jug, and instead made someone else from the team drink it.

The poor victim's blotchy allergies didn't let up for a whole month.

"Huh? What's up?" Konohamaru asked while wiping the droplets of water from his chin.

The Uchiha didn't reply. Instead, he tossed the bottle aside while muttering "Tch, so annoying…" to no one in particular before taking out another jug of water from his pack.

Of course, he wasn't stupid enough not to bring an extra just in case the situation repeated itself again.

He'll deal with Suigetsu when he returns.

"Let's go. If we're lucky, the aggressors' tracks should lead us to the source in a day or two. Better keep up if you don't want to get left behind." He ordered as he finished replenishing his thirst and tossed the jug back in his pack.

The Sarutobi jolted backwards, spilling some of his bottle's contents on his shirt and scarf. "W-What?! B-But we just got here!"

The older man gave the younger a dark look.

"… F-Fine then, dammit!"

As the Uchiha picked up his pack and turned to leave, Konohamaru glanced curiously at the abandoned bottle on the ground. Kneeling down, he picked up the bottle and studied the harmless-looking contents inside before shrugging and tossing it inside his own pack.

"Huh. This may come in handy."

…

…

"_Hyuuga."_

_She jolted, nearly losing her balance at the bridge's brick red railing._

_Yelping as she landed wobbly onto the bridge's solid ground, she turned her midnight-blue head towards the deep, familiar voice, her face slightly flustered in embarrassment and surprise._

_Her round lavender-white eyes widened as they took in the familiar tall, dark-haired man._

"_S-Sasuke-kun?"_

_His almond-shaped eyes were narrowed._

"_What the hell were you doing?"_

_Not that he cared about her, since they weren't really friends._

_It's just that it's not everyday that you get to see a young, well-looking lady tiptoeing dangerously on top of a bridge's railing while a freezing cold river raged ferociously below._

_Even if she was a shinobi, not everyone could survive a fall like that._

_Did she have some sort of death wish?_

"_I-I w-was just-! Um, a-ano-!" she stuttered, waving her hands frantically._

_Would it be crazy to admit that her risky balancing antic helped get her mind off things?_

"_I-It doesn't m-matter!" she insisted, bowing her head awkwardly as her long hair concealed her flustered face before snapping back up in realization._

"_B-but what are you d-doing here, Sasuke-kun? I-I mean, why are you here in Konoha? I-I thought-!"_

"_Sudden change of plans. It's none of your concern."_

"_O-Oh." _

_She poked her fingers together nervously, slightly taken aback by his bluntness._

_Seeing that there was nothing else to concern him, the Uchiha turned and began to walk away from the bridge, much to her astonishment._

_So that was it?_

"_Ah, S-Sasuke-kun!"_

_She suddenly called out before clapping a hand on her lips at her voice's magnitude._

_He didn't turn back to face her, but he did cease his steps, waiting silently for whatever she had left to say._

"_D-Did Juugo-san, Karin-san, a-and Suigetsu-san a-accompany you here? Are y-you staying here f-for good? D-Does N-Naruto-kun and S-Sakura-san know of y-your arrival?"_

_She didn't know how she got all of that out of her mouth._

_She still had so many questions running in her head, yet she was unsure of how to point them all out._

_He stood there unmoving as if she never spoke at all._

_But after a moment of contemplating whether her question was worth entertaining, the Uchiha shrugged nonchalantly._

"_Who knows?"_

_He then continued walking away, leaving her to stand alone in the middle of the bridge as the sounds of the raging river below filled the empty air._

_She got some of her questions answered later that day when she spotted him being followed by both Team Taka and Team 7, leaving the Hokage tower together._

_The blonde and the swordsman, both on either side of the Uchiha, already seemed to be in the middle of a frivolous feud, one of them grimaced and the other smirked as the middle man sighed in frustration as he tried to ignore the two loud idiots. _

_The giant walking behind the trio remained silent while observing the active jinchiruki with open curiosity._

_Although the redhead was sending jealous death glares towards the cherry blossom, the latter seemed to not have noticed as she seemed to be lost in thought, if not a little downcast, as her dulled emerald eyes continuously zeroed onto the dark-haired man's back._

_Hinata wasn't entirely surprised though._

_After all, having the love of your life suddenly return back without a warning could be quite overwhelming._

_To that, they're second brief meeting concluded, the day when spring's last petals fell that year._

…

_Saturday, July 16, 2:00 PM_

…

"Hinata-san! You look absolutely ravishing today!"

The Hyuuga turned from her river's reflection to see a tall man leaning beside her on the railing. His bright green hair was slicked back and glossed obviously with a huge dollop of gel. He wore a silky, intricate dark purple kimono that seemed to be of high quality. His gleaming sky blue eyes glittered mischievously as he eyed the beautiful young woman before him.

Hinata, on the other hand, could only plaster a tiny nervous smile in return, twisting a finger on the long dark braid resting on her shoulder. The other hand settled on patting the skirt of her simple periwinkle sundress.

"T-Thank you, Youta-sama."

"Just Takashi will do, my lovely."

"-Takashi-san. Y-You look good as well. Did Haru-kun come along with you?"

"Oh, that annoying nephew of mine?" The flamboyant man flapped a hand carelessly as he nodded at the fat brunette child who stood unmoving in front of the balloon-filled table where several platters of food and a two-tiered pink cake sat. "He's over there drooling at the buffet table. God, I can't believe my stupid brother's making me babysit him. Honestly, that useless man should require that brat to go on a strict diet."

Hinata laughed anxiously. "A-Ano, I think Haru-kun is still a little too young to go on a diet."

"Well, at least you don't have anything to worry about for today's birthday girl. After all," He leaned closer to her and gave a wink. "She takes after her beautiful mother. Luckily for you, I'm quite a looker myself. Why, Hinata-san, I do believe that together we make a good-looking pair."

Subtlety taking a step back, the slightly flustered Hyuuga gave a tense smile as the unabashed flirt began to move closer, with a big cheeky grin that would shame Might Gai's signature flashy grin.

"U-Um, thank you?"

"Hinata-chan! There you are!"

The young mother unconsciously let out a relieved sigh as she turned behind her to see a plump, middle-aged woman click her heels towards her. Her heavily made-up face scowled slightly at the sight of the flaky man, who also returned her dissatisfaction with a glower.

"Aya-san! Is anything the matter?"

"Why, as a matter of fact, yes my dear! We need your help in arranging the peonies on the tables. As in, right now. If you'll excuse us, Youta-sama."

Without waiting for the disgruntled man's reply, Aya pulled the half apologetic, half-thankful Hinata away from him.

"Geez, doesn't he ever give up? I understand that you're quite a rare catch, but that unashamed playboy… let me tell you dear, he's just no good."

"I-I'll keep that in mind, thank you." Hinata smiled gratefully. "But really, is everything alright?"

"What? Oh no, dear. I was just trying to save you from that brat's clutches." Aya smiled slyly, patting a polished hand on her shoulder. "Hate seeing a nice lady like you being wasted on someone like him. Which is why I am telling you-"

"Aya-san, please." Hinata bowed her head sincerely. "I understand that Izumi-kun's a good person and that anyone would be lucky to have him. But… I'm just not ready yet. Please understand."

The older woman sighed and shook her curly blonde head in disappointment.

"I'm telling you, Hinata-chan. That son of mine may be an idiot, but he's got a good heart. He'll treat you real nicely if you just give him a chance, and even if he doesn't." She cracked her knuckles with a scary smile on her face. "Let me tell ya, I'll teach him a lesson he'll never forget."

Hinata giggled lightly. "He's been very kind to me, Aya-san, don't worry. All of you are. You and your family have been so generous to us from the very beginning, and no amount of my appreciation could ever make up for all of that debt. You have become… something like a second mother to me."

The older woman smiled softly. "And you have become my second daughter, Hinata-chan, although I was hoping for real, let me tell ya. And don't worry. You don't owe us anything. Having your little Yume around is already enough for me." She grinned as she patted her wide stomach. "Since my own son and daughter are still incapable of giving me grandchildren, I'm glad that I could settle as an acting grandmother to Yume."

"And I'm glad that you and the others have helped so much with preparing Yume's birthday party. Honest, everything looks perfect."

Hinata watched contentedly as the chattering villagers scrambled about rearranging the pink and blue balloons around Hachi village's square. Wooden tables and chairs were strewn around the open space, all decorated with ribbons, flowers, and balloons.

In the middle of it all was the long buffet table, with Yume's six-candled strawberry cake waiting for the celebrant.

She was so glad that everyone was so kind as to contribute something just for Yume.

Staying here was the best decision she ever made.

"By the way, where is Neji-kun? I don't see him around, and I thought that Izumi's the one picking up little Yume."

Hinata blinked, suddenly remembering the unanticipated meeting four days ago.

"… He's quite busy with someone at the moment. He'll be arriving a little later."

Until now, the former heiress still couldn't entirely believe that one of her former colleagues was coincidentally stationed here in the Land of Honey, apparently to escort the fire Daimyou to Iwagakure.

She realized somewhere inside her mind that she'd eventually see her old friends and family one day. But she never knew that day would come so soon, in the unexpected form of the weapon-collecting kunoichi.

…

_Four Days Ago_

…

"_Hinata!"_

"_T-Tenten-san?!"_

_The bunhead ANBU grinned and pulled the shocked Hyuuga into a warm hug. Her cousin, who to her surprise seemed to be completely void of emotions, just excused himself from the touching scene and headed for the kitchen to give them privacy. _

_She knew that his explanations would come later._

"_It's been so long! Not a word from you, both of you, for the last six years. Not even a goodbye letter! We sort of almost thought that you guys might be… nevermind. What's important is that you're looking well!"_

"_I-I'm happy to see you too!"_

_The two pulled away, smiling at each other with unshed tears glinting on both their eyes._

_Among her three close kunoichi friends, Tenten was the one Hinata was most comfortable with. With her, she could almost easily share problems that both Kiba and Shino could never understand, her innermost feelings, her fears and hopes, and even problems within the clan._

_Of course, with the Hyuuga genius as a teammate, the weapons mistress could understand her frustrations almost completely, and without fail would always give her utmost support for the meek heiress._

_This is what she missed the most since living in Hachi village. Having female companions of whom you grew up with, to talk and laugh together about shared memories and problems._

_Guiltily, she thought of her former sensei, Kurenai, and almost immediately asked about her and her daughter, Akiko._

"_Oh, she's doing great! Actually just a few weeks ago, Akiko's graduated from the Academy and finally turned into a Genin, can you believe?" The brunette sighed. _

"_I feel so old. Seemed only yesterday that that kid was still a wee little baby trying to crawl after her mother. I still remember that one time when Gai-sensei, Lee, and I visited her place, and I happened to take along some weapons I packed for a mission. God, I'd never forget that scary look Kurenai-sensei gave me when Akiko thought that my kunais were pacifiers."_

_Hinata giggled. "I think I remember hearing about that."_

_Tenten's brown eyes widened._

"_Really? Great, I feel so stupid. But that's for bringing weapons into a child-proof house I guess."_

_As they moved to sit on the living room sofa and their conversation went deeper, Hinata found out more and more of how much she missed from the last six years._

_Apparently, her teammate, Kiba, had married Ino three years ago and already have a little girl and recently, an infant son. _

_The former heiress couldn't contain her joy for her best friend. She never quite expected her brash, canine teammate to end up with the equally temperamental, blonde queen of gossip, as they have been bickering for most of their interactions as far as she knew._

_But she knew that the Yamanaka was a kind and caring person deep inside, and she was glad that her two friends ended up finding happiness with each other._

_Shino, on the other hand, was still unmarried and has yet to find that special someone, or at least in Tenten's knowledge._

_He's been spending most of his time doing undercover missions outside of Konoha, which to Tenten's opinion, was the perfect job for his abilities, seeing that he was one of the most unostentatious people she knew. It was a wonder why he decided not to join ANBU._

_Aside from her teammates, the other people who married were Shikamaru and Temari, which was somehow expected, Chouji to a skinny Kisiragi woman, which was quite unexpected, and most recently Lee to Kumogakure's number one supermodel, which was the most unexpected among them all._

"_I know right? I mean, who would've thunk? Turns out that she had some weird fetish for thick eyebrows and the color green. You would've thought that Gai-sensei would be running around ten thousand laps a day because he was so impressed."_

_She shook her head with a snort. Behind the kitchen counter, the older Hyuuga gave a knowing smirk as he recalled his eccentric teammate and sensei._

"_Then I found out that he and Kakashi-sensei have been depressed after the news of Lee's engagement popped out. I guess I can't blame them though, seeing that they're both getting older and still remain single. Not to mention, being beaten by Lee of all people."_

_Hinata giggled at the fond memories her friend shared. It was such a shame that she had to miss all of that._

"_And what about yourself, Tenten-san? H-Have you… found someone?"_

_This was quite an awkward question to ask, especially since her cousin was just a few meters away in the open kitchen brewing tea for himself. _

_From the corner of her eye, the older Hyuuga flicked his eyes up for a few seconds before turning back to his steaming pot._

_The bunhead seemed to share the same uncomfortable feeling as well, as her brown eyes also peeked at the prodigy before concentrating instead on the Hyuuga in front of her. Slowly, her lips lifted into a shy smile._

"… _Actually, I've been married for two years now."_

_A clanking noise echoed from the kitchen._

_The two kunoichis quickly snapped their heads towards the kitchen, where the only male in the house reached for the dropped teapot cover on the wooden floor. His white eyes were hardened and careful, his pursed lips making no such movement to speak._

_He turned his back on them as he took out some teacups from the cabinets._

_As the awkward silence evaded the household, the younger Hyuuga coughed lightly in guilt. Silently, she apologized to her cousin for bringing the topic up._

_She wasn't trying to be insensitive, she was merely curious. And for some reason, she had thought that maybe the two of them have already discussed her marital status before arriving at her home._

"_I-Is he anyone we know?"_

_Tenten shook her head._

"_He's an ANBU member whom I met five years ago. He's two years older than me, so I wouldn't have recognised him during our Academy years. We're always assigned the same missions together, so it was inevitable that we sort of bonded despite the rules. At first, I didn't consider his advances when he first confessed his feelings for me. But that idiot was just so persistent and, well, look where it got me."_

_She smiled fondly as she thought of her husband back at home._

_Hinata nodded in comprehension, avoiding turning her eyes towards her cousin._

_She was truly happy for her second closest female friend, she really was._

_But it was inevitable that her happy feelings would be conflicted with sadness and pity for her cousin, of whom she knew had some sort of past with the weapon kunoichi._

_She had warned him before about the consequences of coming with her._

_Guiltily, she wondered if he regretted his decision because of her._

"_We're not planning to expand the family any time soon though."_

_Tenten added quickly, rubbing a hand on the ANBU deer mask clipped on her waist._

"_It's just that with the two of us being so busy, I don't think we're ready to have kids just yet. Heck, I don't think I'm ready to become a mother just yet."_

_Suddenly, her dark chocolate eyes glinted mischievously at her friend as she rested her chin on both hands._

"_So, what about you? Everyone back home's been dying to know what happened to you. No one knew why you decided to leave while Sasuke's-"_

"_H-How is he?" _

_The ANBU blinked after the former heiress interrupted her. Her lavender-white eyes were downcast as her hands resting on her aproned lap began fiddling with each other._

"_U-Um, he's doing good. Very good, actually. Last I heard, he's been planning to propose some time this week."_

_The Hyuuga's eyelids lowered, her lips pursed into a grimace. She could feel the worried glance Neji was giving her, which was shared by her female friend as well._

_Why was she feeling so much pain?_

_She had prepared herself for such a situation ever since she made the decision to leave him. And it wasn't the first time that she'd heard of him seeing another person. In fact, she should be happy that he has finally found someone who could stay by his side forever in her absence._

_So why did it still hurt so badly to hear that he's happy with another woman?_

_Wasn't she to blame for all this?_

"_Hinata?"_

_Blinking back the tears that started to gather in her eyes, the former heiress plastered a reassuring smile for her friend._

"_I-I'm fine, Tenten-san. I… I'm happy that he has found someone who c-could stay by his side. I-I really am."_

_Unconvinced, Tenten's eyebrows slanted with worry._

"_Um, that's good, I guess? But really, Hinata."_

_She edged a little closer, her brows knitting in concentration._

"_What really made you leave him in the first place? Some things just don't add up, and I just don't understand-"_

"_Hina-Mama! I'm home!"_

_The three occupants froze as a little ebony-haired girl skittered inside the house, with a young silver-haired man following behind._

_The little girl immediately latched herself into her mother's lap before turning to look at the unfamiliar visitor with curious eyes. She innocently perked her head sideward._

"_Hina-Mama, who's this pretty lady?"_

_The young mother bit her lip nervously as her eyes flicked back to her friend, who was openly gaping at the child in shock._

_At that moment, she knew right away that it was her daughter's unique eyes that completely silenced her._

_Her heart began pounding. This was all going too fast. _

"_H-Hinata? I-Is she-?"_

"_Yume, this is Tenten. We used to be assigned in one team when we were younger."_

_Neji interrupted as he suddenly appeared with a tray of hot tea in his arms. Immediately, the little girl excitedly jumped into her uncle's arms after he settled the tray down on the living room table, adding to Tenten's surprise._

"_Uncle Neji! She's pretty! I want to have my hair up like mouse ears too!"_

_The said woman flicked her eyes back and forth at the two Hyuugas. Behind them, Izumi frowned at the brunette woman as the atmosphere suddenly became tense._

"_Tenten," Hinata started, standing up and taking her daughter back into her arms. "This is Masayume Hyuuga, my daughter. She will be turning six this Saturday."_

_Her hardened eyes locked onto her friend's chocolate brown ones._

"… _Her father is currently in a long undercover mission around the world at the moment. I'm sorry, but I'd appreciate if you don't ask questions about him."_

_Her eyes silently pleaded for the ANBU to keep silent from mentioning the Uchiha's name._

_Narrowing her eyes, the weapons mistress's head began wheeling in questions, unsure if she should be happy, angry, or pitiful about this secret._

_Apparently, the child has absolutely no idea of her father's true identity. And judging by their reactions to her finding out about their child, it seemed to her that this little girl was initially not part of their plans when they left._

_The weapons mistress wasn't entirely sure whether she was more surprised about Hinata becoming a mother in a young age or the glaring fact that the fragile, supposedly innocent kunoichi had obviously spent a passionate night with the Uchiha, thus the in-the-flesh result in front of her._

_She turned to Neji in silent inquiry. _

_His eyes told her that now wasn't the time to ask questions._

"… _Alright then. I won't pry."_

_Not in front of the young child, at least._

_Moving to the mother and daughter pair, she leaned into eye-level with the little girl and gave her a friendly smile._

"_Hey there. Yume, right? I'm Tenten, Neji's close friend and teammate. We used to train with each other back in the good old days. I can assure you that your Uncle Neji has been one of the most difficult people to compete against, even until now."_

_Yume's black and white eyes brightened._

"_Aunt Bun-bun, are you a ninja too?"_

_The kunoichi laughed at her new nickname._

"_Yes, I am! Actually I'm here because my client needed to rest for awhile, so I came by to visit your mother and your uncle. I haven't seen them for such a long time, so I wanted to know how they were doing. Although, I didn't know that Hinata had popped out such an adorable and sweet child like you."_

_Her eyes flickered pointedly at the young mother before plastering back a grin for her new friend._

"_So, wanna see some of the weapons your Aunt Bun-bun collects? I think I still have some time to show off some moves."_

_Neji narrowed his eyes at his former teammate in disapproval, of which was deliberately ignored by the latter._

_The little girl, however, literally lit up at her suggestion and immediately held out her arms towards the weapons mistress._

"_YES PLEASE!"_

…

…

Of course, the new friends became quite close for the past four days.

It turns out that Tenten and her team would be staying at Hachi Village until some reinforcements arrive to help them gain information about the attacks against the Fire Daimyou's life, which gives the weapons mistress some time to play with her new "niece" if she wasn't assigned on guard duty, easily making her Yume's new favorite aunt.

The Fire Daimyou has been staying at the home of the village's chief, who also happens to be Takashi's older brother and Haru's father.

Which was probably why Takashi ended up babysitting Haru while the chief and the other servants entertained the Daimyou at their place.

Although the young Hyuuga mother offered Tenten her home for a place to stay, the latter politely declined and stated that it was best if she stayed in the chief's place at night with her other team members.

She has invited Tenten to come to Yume's birthday party, with much insistence from her daughter. She replied that she would be honored to come, although apparently, she'd be turning up late either because of work or because of her older cousin.

Neji has been surprisingly quiet ever since Tenten's appearance. She knew that the two had lately been spending time with each other training like they used to, for old times' sake according to Neji.

Or probably to let off some steam.

Hinata was only worried of how all this affected Neji, especially after finding out that Tenten's already taken for. They haven't had the chance to discuss much about his personal feelings, what with the party preparations and Neji going off who-knows-where to meditate or hang out with Tenten.

She only hoped that her cousin would realize and act upon the limits of the relationship he's currently granted with her.

"_They're probably together right now."_ She thought to herself as she failed to see the pair anywhere in the jovial crowd. She bit her lip as she thought of what would happen after Tenten's departure.

The one thing she was most afraid of was the world acknowledging the existence of Yume. And with someone from the past suddenly appearing back into her life and inevitably finding out about her daughter, she feared that Yume's grand debut to the world was dangerously coming much quicker than she hoped.

The two friends had already discussed Yume's heritage, ending with Hinata confirming the father's identity and Tenten swearing that not a word about the child or the Hyuugas would ever come out from her lips.

"_But if it were easy, I'd definitely find some way to come back and visit you guys. There's just no way I'm ignoring all that's happened here, especially not after meeting Yume. I'll make sure to bring new toy weapons and maybe some candy next time!"_

She knew that she could trust her word. But still, there was this nagging feeling deep within her gut that told her that everything wasn't over just yet.

No, it was only the beginning.

In a distance, a thunderous clap echoed from the mountains.

…

* * *

Trolled? Maybe. But we're getting closer and closer now. ;D

Thanks for reading and please continue to support me and my story! Reviews please?


	6. 5th Stop: The Birthday Wish

**OPrincess ShinigamiO **here!

Yes, yes, I know I've been missing for quite some time, and I apologize for that! I've been really really busy lately with schoolwork, and stress wouldn't allow me to think thoroughly. Admittedly, whenever I had free time, I was too lazy to finish the chapter, so I guess that's quite inexcusable. So I apologize again for posting late and I hope this won't affect your loyalty to this fanfic!

It's pretty late here so I'm gonna skip any trivias for now since either way I can't reveal anything new as of yet anyway.

Thanks to all who continued to support my fanfic! I thank those who especially egged me on to continue this fanfic, specifically **umnia** who sent me a personalised message to persuade me (don't worry! I'm not giving up on this just yet! ;)), and I hope that I'll do you proud for the next chapters! Speaking of which, unfortunately I'll continue to be busy with schoolwork, so expect to have late updates! I'll probably get lucky if I happen to post a week from now, though I seriously doubt it because semester break's almost over... :(

Anyhoo, I'd also like to thank my reviewers and the readers who have been there for me from the very beginning! I hope that this fic could reel in new fans and that they could leave some thoughts on the chapter! *wink wink* I'm too tired to give replies for now, but I promise next time that I'll give a lot more effort than this! Please forgive my not-so-perfect writing in this chapter and tell me if you've found some mistakes I've accidentally overlooked! Your reviews and opinions matter to me! ;)

So without further ado, here's the awaited new chapter of Masayume! :D

* * *

_Masayume_

_..._

_5th Stop_

_..._

_The Birthday Wish_

_..._

_The young heiress heavily sighed as she lazily swung the sack of training equipment in her hands while heading towards her destination._

_That day would be quite lonely for her._

_Kiba and Akamaru were unavailable because of their first "solo" mission out in the Sand. Shino had a family meeting to attend to. Of course, her father was too busy with clan business, and Neji was busy preparing for the ANBU entrance exams that were about to commence in a few months' time._

_Even Hanabi couldn't accompany her due to being assigned to do some errands in the Academy with her teammates._

_The soft crashes of water soothed her loneliness though. Taking in the natural fresh air around her, her eyes brightened and her lips lifted into a satisfied smile as she approached her favorite training spot; the tiny waterfalls in the miniscule clearing in the forest just a little outside Konoha._

_Unknown to even both her teammates, this area had witnessed most of Hinata's innermost emotions whenever she felt overwhelmed by her fears and problems. Ever since she began mastering her Water Needle technique, she turned to the peaceful atmosphere of the waterfalls, where she could crumble her walls completely and just let things go while the splashing melody of the water calmed her nerves._

_You could say it's her little private happy place for much needed quiet time._

_So it was no surprise that she was bewildered when she felt a whiff of burning smoke enter her nose as she trudged down the familiar narrow pathway._

_Quickly changing her steady walk into a fast-paced jog, she entered the clearing only to step aside just in time as a bolt of lightning struck down the tree beside her._

_Shocked, the Hyuuga's eyes slowly turned from the burning sight of the tree to the familiar red eyes whose owner's position's just about ready for a second strike._

"_S-S-Sasuke-kun?"_

"_Oh? It's you." He mumbled, deactivating his red eyes back to onyx._

_Frozen, Hinata slowly braved herself a nod while her eyes unwittingly roamed around her supposedly peaceful happy place._

_In contrast to the soft natural air it usually had, it now bombarded her nose with heavy smoke. Most of the greenery around her still survived, to her relief, save for some charred bushes and black scraggly trees surrounding the Uchiha._

_It had seemed that she had intruded Sasuke's private training in her quiet little space, which was quite ironic on its own._

"_What are you doing here?"_

_She snapped her head towards him, almost forgetting that he was still standing in a position that's ready to strike._

"_As expected, he really is a very cautious person, even to his own comrades." She thought to herself. _

"_I… I was j-just going to train here m-myself."_

_He raised an eyebrow._

"_This area's occupied. You can find your own place to train."_

"_Y-Yes, but-"_

_Her eyes dipped down into a stubborn look, her feet unmoving from where she stood._

"_This is… w-well… MY quiet place. I can't train with my utmost effort if I don't do it here."_

_It was his turn to plaster a stubborn look on his face. Relaxing his position, his eyes remained wary at the Hyuuga._

"_As far as I know, this little 'quiet place' of yours doesn't exactly have your name written on it. I have a right to be here, to train here. Go find another quiet place, Hyuuga."_

"_B-B-But-!"_

_His eyes narrowing and swirling back to red was all it took for Hinata to squeak and bow her head in apology. As she bit her lip and slowly turned away, she inwardly scolded herself for being such a coward._

_Even after encountering giant threats like Pain and even the Juubi, there was just something about Sasuke Uchiha that frightened her so much. _

_During those moments, she had a purpose to be courageous; ensuring Naruto's safety, and saving the whole world._

_But what risks did this have that was worth her life?_

_Her happy place?_

_The place where she lets out all her frustrations, joy, and other unspeakable emotions that were too embarrassing to reveal to the world. _

_The place where she could fully embrace the peacefulness and the beauty of nature._

_The place where she could improve her jutsus the best._

_The only friend she could turn to when she needs to disappear from everyone and everything._

_Her feet stopped their pacing._

_Yes, it was worth it. There was no way she could not return its favors after all the good it's done to her._

_And there was absolutely no way she's going to let Sasuke burn it down to crisp._

_She turned around briskly and with a determined expression, she firmly faced the Uchiha._

"_I-I'm sorry, Sasuke-kun. B-But, if you won't be moving out of here, th-then at least let me train here… w-with you… t-together.. i-in peace."_

_Sasuke scoffed._

"_Don't be so full of yourself. I've seen you fight before. It's doesn't exactly leave much to impress."_

_Hinata bit her lip at his mockery. She's used to being insulted, especially since she grew up with her strict family. But his rudeness had admittedly took a toll to her sureness, a bit hurtful even. _

_Especially since they seemed to have left on good terms two weeks before when he and his team moved into Konoha._

"_I-I may not be v-very talented in your eyes." She shakily started, unwittingly wringing the sack's sling in her hands tightly._

"_B-But I'm not a weak little girl anymore, Sasuke-kun. I-I can protect myself well enough, or at least I can d-do good enough to protect other people. And even though I'm only lucky to live this long, I won't give up on getting stronger, even by just a little bit." _

"_And this place, my quiet place and my friend, is one of those strong factors that would help make me grow to the fullest, and I will not allow you to destroy something so precious to me. S-So please, do not look down on me and respect my rights to train here. Otherwise…"_

_Swiftly, she positioned her arms into a Gentle Fist._

_Byakugan activated, her white eyes stared right at his steely, determined to get her message across._

"_You'll have to waste the very life you saved five months ago."_

_His facial expression was quite unreadable at first, his red eyes devoid of any emotion although she could've sworn that there was a tiny spark to it._

_Finally, his lips slightly lifted to a smirk._

"_You're a curious person, Hyuuga. You're willing to sacrifice your life just for this little quiet place of yours? Quite pathetic for such a small thing. But if that's what you want."_

_The black dots in his red eyes began swirling threateningly._

"_Then I guess I've been a fool to spare you from death."_

_Veins throbbing as sweat began to form on her forehead, she swallowed nervously as she prepared for the worst._

_For all it's worth, she might learn a thing or two from this experience._

_That is, if she gets out alive._

…

"Well, what do you think?"

Unsure, Neji lifted an eyebrow at the tiny pink fabric Tenten held up on her nose as they walked pass the open fields.

"… And it's supposed to be-?"

"An eyepatch, silly!" Tenten rolled her eyes. "Little Yume said that she always liked playing pirate with her friends and that her friend Kiki has the best eye patch among them. So I made a little something for her that might make her the most badass pirate on this land!"

"… I see."

To her credit, the sewing quality did seem a lot more decent than the several sad attempts she's done in the past, save for some little loose stitches on the orange pattern of what seems to be a skull. Or was it a flower?

Scoffing, the weapons mistress threw her arms up in the air.

"Ugh, I give up. Thought you might be a little bit more enthusiastic about this. But noooo. I guess some things will never change." She shrugged.

The Hyuuga gave a quiet smile as she turned her back on him.

"You have no idea…"

"Huh? Did you say something?"

"No."

"Riiiiiiight. Anyway, please send my apologies to Hinata and Yume." Tenten inserted the tiny pink patch into a lavender box, set with a pink bow and a tiny card with a "Happy Birthday from your favorite Aunt Bun-Bun! O(^o^)O" message written on it. She smiled sadly as she handed the present to her former teammate.

"Reinforcements are said to be arriving today, which means that me and my group are probably leaving tomorrow. I have to stay with the Fire Daimyou and prepare for our trip. I'm really sorry for not saying a proper goodbye to both Hinata and Yume, but there's not much I can do, especially if you don't want the ANBU to know about your location."

She sighed before turning her eyes towards him.

"Are you sure you and Hinata have no plans on moving back? Or even showing up to the others? You know that everyone would still welcome you with open arms, right?"

The Hyuuga shook his head. "It's best to leave things be. Our return would only cause disruption to the way things are right now. Especially…" Neji gave a dark frown at the thought of the Uchiha coming into Hinata, and ultimately Yume's life.

For the past week, Hinata has been avoiding the subject as much as she could. Tenten could only respect her wishes and just chose to ignore the topic. Neji didn't pry any further. The fact that the traitor had never tried to look for Hinata and had instead found another woman was enough information for him.

He knew that he shouldn't exactly blame Sasuke for moving on. But if he'd only known how much Hinata was hurting on the inside, then there's no way he could let him back into their lives that easily.

Never will Sasuke cause so much pain to his beloved cousin again. Not on his watch.

"Well, at least I got to see you again. You had no idea how worried sick Lee and Guy-sensei were, well, are, I mean. They don't know you're here, after all. They miss you, y'know. Er, including myself, of course."

Neji smirked at her awkward goodbye.

"I missed you too. All of you."

Eyebrows furrowing, the bunhead bit her lip nervously before lifting a hand to the tiny space between them.

"… So, no hard feelings?" she whispered.

Neji raised an eyebrow. "For what?"

Tenten gave an impatient frown. "For the past, I mean. Like, didn't we… weren't we… you know? Oh, oh wait a second-"

She pulled her hand away and crossed both arms together as she turned her back on him. The atmosphere noticeably grew colder.

"Forget about it. I guess I was just hallucinating. After all, I shouldn't have expected much from the stone-hard Hyuuga genius." She whispered the last part in disappointment.

His eyebrows lifted, his expression slightly off-guard. This was the first time they've addressed their unresolved issue six years ago, and for once, the Hyuuga genius was rendered completely speechless.

During the last few days, they have done nothing but train together whenever she was free, as if they were back to teenagers again, their teamwork still intact.

But even after all these years of preparing what to say just in case the two crossed paths again, his mind was wiped blank entirely as the time finally came.

So much for being the famous Hyuuga prodigy.

Slowly, he felt his hand rise up to her slouched shoulder. But the thought of her being married to someone else stopped him an inch away, thinking carefully of his actions before dropping his hand limply on his side.

For a few silent moments, he could only stare at her back in apology.

"… I'm sorry, Tenten. I… I don't think I understand…" He lied, his voice no higher than a whisper.

Tenten shrugged and turned back to face him with a sad smile, her dark brown eyes suddenly stiff and guarded.

"It's alright, Neji. You don't have to. I just… I was just overthinking things." She replied.

Neji nodded, his face devoid of emotions. Thunder began to rumble on the dark sky.

Frowning, the Hyuuga looked up with worry as he pocketed Yume's gift.

"I'd better hurry. It seems like Yume-sama's party might not go as planned after all. That Nakahara better take care of her. I knew that I should've picked Yume-sama up instead of him."

"Tsk tsk, worry-wart Neji." Tenten smirked as she adjusted the pack of equipment on her shoulder. "After all these years, you still can't trust him, although I shouldn't be surprised. But really, he seems like a good kid. And he's awfully cute too."

Effectively, her comment made him scowl.

"You are married, Tenten."

The bunhead raised her hands. "I was kidding, jeez. You don't have to take things so seriously. Anyway, this kid seems to have the hots for Hinata. Trust me." She winked at Neji's confused expression. "A woman has her instincts. Who knows? Maybe if things work out, he might turn out to become your future cousin-in-law!"

Just the thought of it only made Neji's growl in disgust. Although not impossible, it still took him a hard time to accept someone so… idiotic and clumsy.

Someone so… Naruto.

He thought that phase was long over, but with his cousin being all nice and comfortable with him, Izumi just might get lucky.

Despite his opinion, Neji knew that the young man could take care of Hinata and Yume well. The Nakaharas weren't exactly rich, but their kindness and generosity, along with their closeness with the rest of the villagers, were good enough to prove that they could give Hinata and Yume a wonderful life.

They practically were already family to them, including himself.

It was only a matter of time when they would become family formally.

That is, if Hinata decided to have a change of heart.

"Well, this is me." Tenten announced as they stopped at an intersection. "Give my best wishes to both and tell little Yume that her Aunt Bun-Bun will miss her terribly."

"Hn."

It was tense for the two shinobi, both not knowing how to exactly express their goodbyes. For all they knew, this could be the last time they'd ever see each other again, not maybe for a long time.

Finally, the Hyuuga stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her, shocking her to silence. After a few silent moments when the supposedly platonic embrace became less awkward, she lifted her arms and returned the gesture, burying her face on his shoulder.

"Good luck, Neji."

"As to you, Tenten."

Pulling away, the weapons mistress gave a sly smirk.

"Don't be so down, genius. I'll try to come back often. After all, I'm pretty sure little Yume wouldn't want to miss her Aunt Bun-Bun too much! Don't think that I'll be coming back just to see your sorry face." She giggled with a wink.

Neji simply gave a satisfied smile after his companion gave a last wave and turned her way.

"I'll keep that in mind."

…

Yume kicked rubble on the muddy ground, her brand new purple dress and plastic toy sword stained with brown spots. Crumpled in her tiny hands was a piece of parchment with ink spreading because of the wetness.

She had just "ran away" from her own birthday party with an excuse to tie a wish on their villages' "Wishing Oak", a giant oak tree located on the near edge of the Hachi Village's river that leads to the wild forests. It has been said for the past decades that hanging up your wish on the tree's branches would make your wish come true.

That is, if you hung it up alone.

Honestly, despite the rain ruining her outdoor party, she still had lots of fun in her birthday after they quickly moved it indoors. Everyone cheered for her when her face brightened up at her favorite strawberry cake (albeit a bit ruined by the rain). Gifts were showered here and there and everything in the buffet table looked delicious.

Her mother looked extra pretty too! Even with everyone either wearing traditional kimonos or sparkly dresses, older women wearing extra heavy makeup, to which in Yume's opinion made them look like clowns, her beautiful mother in a simple dress and a bare, fresh face still looked the best to her.

The only things that sucked were the weather, her Uncle Neji and Aunt Bun-bun being late, and Haru the bully getting into her nerves more than ever by gobbling up most of her favorite steak.

It was only because of her mother's firm warning stare that stopped her from throwing a punch at the fat kid's chubby face then and there.

Her Uncle Neji being late and Aunt Bun-Bun's absence only heightened her distress, which led to the former promising to buy her a new present in secrecy from her mother.

Luckily, things began to look brighter again when Neji gave her Tenten's present. Every one of her good friends were impressed by the personalized eye patch, as well as receiving compliments from the villagers, much to Neji's surprise, and she never took it off since despite Hinata's worry of what it may do to her eyesight.

Then it was time for her to blow her six candles. Everyone gathered around her as she tiptoed on a stool behind her cake, with her mother and Granny Aya on either side of her.

…

"_Make a wish Yume dear."_

_The little girl poked her fingers together, her dark eyebrows knitting into a frown, her black and white eyes pointedly staring at the lit up candles while one side of her lips pulled upwards in concentration._

_Finally, she clasped her chubby hands together in prayer and closed her eyes tightly, her lips forming inaudible words that no one could quite follow._

_After that, she leaned down and blew all the candles on her cake, followed by a clatter of applauses and cheers from the villagers._

_Hinata smiled at her daughter, unshed tears springing up her lavender-white eyes while smiling at Izumi who was gently patting her shoulder in comfort._

_It was a wonder how fast she was already growing, it's only as if it were yesterday that the young mother first held her crying baby in her arms._

_When Yume opened her eyes with a satisfied grin, the former heiress nudged her daughter._

"_So, what did you wish for?"_

_The little brunette frowned, her bottom lip pulling up in a pout as she crossed her arms together. It pained Hinata slightly of how much she resembled her father when observed more carefully._

"_Wishes won't work if Yume tells Hina-Mama."_

"_Ah, is that so?" The young mother smiled._

"_Yes! You said so yourself!"_

_Hinata laughed. "Did I?"_

"_Come on, Yume!" Kiki, Yume's best friend, bounced up and down in anticipation. "We wanna know your wish! Pretty please!"_

_Soon enough, everyone followed and happily cheered her on._

_But still, the birthday girl remained stubborn and would not budge._

_It was not until a little later when everyone began taking their second round of dinner when Hinata convinced her daughter to reveal her secret only to her._

_The young mother was surprised when her daughter's bright smile fell into a sad look._

"_If I tell you, Hina-Mama might be sad."_

_It was then and there that Hinata realized of what Yume might've wished for._

_Her father._

_As expected, the young mother's lips turned into a sad frown. Gently, she rubbed the little girl's shoulders up and down, feeling the silky fabric of her puffy sleeves._

"_Yume, honey. I'm so sorry."_

"_It's okay. Yume knows that Hina-Mama gets sad when someone talks about Papa."_

_The little girl bowed her head, her pigtails brushing on her pinkish cheeks._

"_Hina-Mama is sad because Papa is very far away. Yume is sad too, because I miss him so very much. But I know that Papa loves us very much, and Yume is very happy that I still have Hina-Mama to take care of me."_

_She gave a smile and wrapped her arms around her mother's neck._

"_Yume wants to take care of Hina-Mama too! I want to grow pretty like you and Aunt Bun-bun, and strong like Papa and Uncle Neji. When Papa comes back, Yume will also take very good care of him and make him happy. I love you, Hina-Mama."_

_Grinning toothily, the little girl then gave a swift peck on Hinata's cheek._

_The young mother was rendered speechless._

_Even at her daughter's young age, she already knew how to be sensitive with people's feelings, despite being rash at times. Even with her father away, she still wishes to see him and take responsibility for him._

_For a child like her, she truly has a sort of wisdom and maturity that not many six-year-olds have._

_She was never more proud of her daughter than that moment._

_Yume's eyebrows knitted into a worried frown as she lifted a tiny hand to her mother's wet cheek. Her big heterochromic eyes widened._

"_Hina-Mama, you're crying. I'm sorry! Yume told you that you will be sad…"_

_Seeing her daughter's eyes growing shiny with tears, the Hyuuga mother chuckled lightly and clasped both her tiny hands into hers, smiling in reassurance._

"_Oh no no, Hina-Mama isn't sad. In fact, I'm very very very proud of Yume right now. Because I know that Yume loves me and-and Papa very much."_

…

Moments after the party was over and Hinata and the others began cleaning up the tables, Yume excused herself and told her mother that she was only going to take a potty in the washroom.

Truthfully, this was the only solution she could think of so that she could sneak away without any escort to guard her every movement. Every time the little girl suggested that she go to the Wishing Oak alone, Hinata would refuse and would ask someone to escort her, no matter how much she protested.

Luckily, the rain already stopped when she came out of the diner they moved the party in. But the road towards the tree wasn't exactly the smoothest, especially since the sky's turned dark and the ground's all muddy and slippery.

Scrunching her face up at the confusing map she got from the village's brochure counter, she turned the parchment upside down and back again as she tried reading the directions with the little light the faulty headlights and the moon gave out.

"T-turn l-left…. Then climb up, oops! Jump down!... Or… walk straight?" she mumbled, accompanied by the splotchy sounds of her shoes on mud.

After a few lefts and a few rights, the little girl huffed in impatience as she was caught on a dead end by the river, with a thick lineup of trees on the other side.

There was still no sign of the Wishing Oak.

Frustrated, she threw the map on the ground.

"Yume's not happy! Where are you, Wishing Oak?!" she crossed her arms together with a pout.

Suddenly, a rustling sound from the trees across the river echoed. Yume squeaked out in surprise before quickly covering her mouth.

"… Wh-Who's th-th-there? Y-Y-Yume h-has a s-sword!" she stuttered as she moved backwards.

No answer came out.

Crumpling the piece of paper in her fist even harder, the little Hyuuga jumped as the rustling sounds came back.

Curiously, the sounds seemed to have shifted to the left.

Gulping, Yume clutched her toy sword on her side as she slowly followed the noise.

"W-Wishing Oak?" she whispered in inquiry.

Nothing.

Nervously observing the area with her one eye, the little girl yelped as the sounds grew louder and louder, moving further and further to the left trees. This time, it was accompanied by a soft, hazy voice, as if it was calling for her to come.

"I-Is that y-you, W-Wishing O-Oak?" she squeaked as she followed the sound.

Nobody replied again, but the rustling sounds only grew further and further until Yume began running by the edge of the river to follow its direction.

"W-Wait! Yume wants to make her wish!" she shouted.

As she ran further and further to the left direction, the sounds finally stopped completely, along with the air-like voice that called for her.

The little girl would've been sent into a panic if it weren't for the giant, lone oak tree standing a few meters away from where a tiny bridge stood her way.

"WISHING OAK!" she jumped in excitement, completely forgetting her fears. "YOU CALLED FOR ME!"

Giggling while skipping up and down the bridge, the little girl smoothed out the paper in her hand and checked to see if the words could still be understandable.

Satisfied, she pulled out a string from her pocket and looped it into the tiny punctured hole on the near edge before tiptoeing up to the oak tree and tying the string into the skinniest twig she could reach.

Clapping her hands together, she closed her eyes and began chanting her prayer, grinning from ear to ear.

"I wish that Papa would come back and make Hina-Mama happy."

Suddenly, the rustling sounds returned, only much louder than before. This time, she could hear the voice more audibly. She couldn't exactly tell what it said, but she knew that it wasn't the tree.

It was a man's.

"….S…..e….Sas…..ke….mmit!" the voice echoed.

Yume yelped in fear as a slumped figure suddenly appeared from the trees. Quickly pointing her toy sword at it, the trembling girl began tiptoeing backwards.

"Y-Yume h-has a s-sword!" she squeaked shakily.

Much to her horror, the figure began moving towards her, albeit crookedly. It had three legs and they seemed to be all wobbly and tangled up, as if it didn't know how to balance itself.

Then finally, just as the dark gray clouds completely slid away from the full moon, the shadows of the trees drew away from the figure, revealing a dark-haired man with blood and ashes all over his clothes and body. It did not have three legs after all. Instead, he was holding on to a long, silver sword as if it were using it for support.

His eyes seemed to be unfocused, but as soon as the little girl entered his vision, they immediately zeroed in on her. Yume could've sworn that the strange man's eyes were red.

The stranger narrowed his dark eyes at the frightened little girl, sliding his view at the tiny plastic sword shakily pointed at him. Surprisingly, his lips formed a smug smirk after looking back and forth between his and her contrasting swords.

"…. Tch, ridiculous…"

Suddenly, the stranger crumbled to the ground with a grunt.

It was silent for a few moments, with Yume frozen in her position and the man lying unconsciously on the ground.

Slowly, the little girl slid forward step by step, her eye unmoving from the figure. Stopping in front of him, she gently poked her sword on his head, earning a soft grunt as a response.

Curious, she kneeled down in front of him, crossing her arms together as she observed the strange man.

Normally, Hinata would tell her to stay away from strangers like him, especially if they have blood all over them and wielding dangerously sharp objects.

But as soon as Yume's eyes lay on the sword beside the fallen man, her heart began to pounce. Something looked quite suspicious, and suddenly it hit her.

The stormy weather, the birthday wish, and now the man with the sword.

He even had dark hair like hers!

Suddenly putting two and two together, the little girl's jaw dropped open.

"PAPA!"

...

* * *

Hahaha, yes, I'm evil that way! :D Good news is that their reunion's coming up! And so... review review REVIEW PLEASE! :D

Thanks for reading!


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